Anastasia Named Rukia
by KyraX
Summary: Rukia was said to be missing and Byakuya will pay a large sum to have her back. Another girl named Lucia is found 10 yrs later. Is she the missing Rukia? Will she ever reunite with her family? Also, who is the orange haired man escorting her? IchiRuki
1. A Family Heirloom

_Ok, I watched this movie when I was little and I fell in love with it. I even have it on my Ipod. And because I'm so otaku-ish and I was watching Bleach at the time. This idea got stuck in my head as a plot bunny and it won't go away till I write it down. Though I had fun writing it!! Sorry if it's a little short. I wanted to split the beginning into two parts._

_Also I'm not going to write any songs into this story. One, because it's going to be hard to incorporate Bleach settings into each song. Two, because Bleach characters singing just weirds me out. Even the Bleach Musicals or the cds won't convince me… Sorry if you were expecting singing!! Maybe I'll put a little songfic in the end!!_

_I'm too lazy to make OCs for Rukia's parents since they are going to be dead soon. So Rukia's mother is called Rukia's mother and her dad is called Rukia's father. Plain and simple. Also, my OC Naori is in this story too because she's crucial to the story…and I like to mix things up a bit._

_Wow that's a looonng author's note…_

Disclaimer: _I do not own Bleach or the animated movie Anastasia_

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A Family Heirloom

Deep within Karakura Town, in one of the Kuchiki manors, a gigantic ball was being held. People from all around Karakura were invited and all were celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Kuchiki rule of the country. Every single chandelier was lit and all precious jewels that the Kuchiki's ever had were on display. All the guests showed up in formal kimonos and everyone was happy. It was a grand celebration, filled with many joyous dancers, one who was the little Kuchiki Rukia.

Little eight-year old Rukia was happily dancing with her father. She spun around her father all in a while; making faces at Byakuya, which really pissed him off. Her father caught little Rukia in his arms and lifted her up really high. The two twirled together for the moment and her father gently placed the giddy Rukia back down.

Rukia curtsied back to her father and she quickly ran towards where her older sister, Hisana, was sitting. Rukia wore a light purple kimono with her short hair flowing behind her. The outfit was simple, yet very elegant. Hisana wore a ruby red kimono with a pink haori draped on her shoulders. She sat on one of the chairs, where the royal family would sit, while gently holding little baby Naori, the youngest sister, in her arms. Her husband, Byakuya Kuchiki, stood firm and stiff right next to her.

Rukia ran as fast as she could to Hisana and when she was finally there, she fiercely gave Hisana a tight hug that almost crushed Naori. Good thing baby Naori was still fast asleep. Rukia was thrilled that Hisana and Byakuya made it…but a little sad because tonight is the last night they would ever be here in Karakura. Afterwards, Hisana and Byakuya would have to go back to Seireitei. So, tonight was a night to be treasured…that was what everyone thought.

"Onee-san!!!" Rukia cried out when she held onto Hisana.

Hisana chuckled and she gently pushed Rukia off of her to stop Rukia from suffocating her younger sister. "Not so tight, Rukia or Naori here would have trouble breathing."

"She would!!" Little Rukia exclaimed. "Nao-chan, I'm so sorry!!" Her loud shouting caused Naori to suddenly wake up. Dazed, little baby Naori looked around her and when she saw Rukia's happy face, she happily cooed and started laughing. Naori lightly touched Rukia's face, which also caused the eight-year old to laugh as well.

"Rukia-chan, Byakuya and I have something special for you", Hisana said that instantly got Rukia's attention. "But Byakuya here won't admit it." She happily chuckled at Byakuya whose face flushed with embarrassment.

"Anata, why don't you bring out our little present", Hisana sweetly asked Byakuya.

Byakuya reached into a case nearby and brought out something long and covered in royal silk. He gently handed it over to Hisana, who gratefully took it.

Hisana unwrapped the silk from the object and inside; it was a long sword with a ribbon fastened at the end of the hilt. The entire sword was snowy white, its blade, guard, hilt and ribbon, all of it was white. The sword gleamed with brilliance when Hisana first unwrapped it. (A/N: _Guess what it is??_)

"It's a family heirloom", Hisana said as she handed the sword to Rukia for her to see. "It's name is Sode no Shirayuki, Sleeve of the White Snow. Isn't it a pretty name for such a beautiful sword?"

Rukia gasped with surprise when she first saw Sode no Shirayuki. She eagerly took it and gladly held it close to herself. "It's pretty!!" she exclaimed when she first touched the white sword.

"Soon it's going to be yours", Hisana told Rukia, which made Rukia gasp again.

"Really!" Rukia exclaimed and she happily embraced Hisana. After embracing Rukia bowed down to Byakuya respectfully to give her thanks. (A/N: _That's because Byakuya would get pretty pissed if anyone hugs him. Imagine someone hugging Byakuya!_) "Thank you very much!" Rukia happily told the pair.

Though unknown to everyone else, little Rukia still had the white sword in her arms and when she hugged Hisana, Naori had taken the sword out of curiosity. (A/N: _Naori is lying down on Hisana's lap_) Naori inspected the white gleaming object in her tiny hands. She happily cooed and…bit down on the hilt of the sword, which was actually very brittle. (A/N: _Babies bite on anything they see, can't control that…besides the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki kind of looks removable_) The extra hilt containing the ribbon fell down onto the floor and it got split in half. Everyone gasped when they witness Sode no Shirayuki broken.

"Nao-chan!!" Rukia exclaimed and pointed at Naori, mad. "That was very mean!!"

When Naori saw Rukia's mad face, she instantly started bawling and her crying was so loud, everyone in the ballroom could hear it. Suddenly every guest's attention was directed to the crying baby. Byakuya had gotten very irritated at Naori due to the fact that her teeth broke a family heirloom.

"She didn't mean it", Hisana softly said and she gently rocked the baby back and forth to get it to stop crying. "Remember she's just a baby."

"But she broke Sode no Shirayuki", Rukia exclaimed back in retaliation.

The baby's crying also sparked a little servant boy's interest. The boy was dressed in servant rags and he looked like he just came out from a kitchen. He glanced at Rukia for a little while and than he walked a little bit closer to see what was wrong. There he saw Sode no Shirayuki and instantly he was awed by its pure white gleam. Though his time in the ballroom was short lived.

"Ichigo!!" His master bellowed when he caught the little servant boy. "You belong in the kitchen!!" And with that, his master took hold of Ichigo's hand and led him away from the marvelous ballroom.

After a while, Hisana finally got Naori to stop crying and Naori was calmer, though her face was still dotted with tears. "Don't worry, Rukia-chan", Hisana softly said as she gently swayed Naori, which was putting her to sleep. "Nothing like a little glue and tape can't fix…also, read what it says on the broken part."

Rukia squinted at the small inscription that was on the bottom of a half. "Made in the Kuchiki House."

Hisana sweat dropped and nervously chuckled. _Those blacksmiths are sure getting cleverer at that._ She thought and she softly shook her head. "Not that. The larger inscription."

Rukia turned over her half and on its side, there was a larger and engraved inscription. "It says: Together in", Rukia concluded and looked up at Hisana in confusion. Hisana grinned and handed Rukia her half. Rukia joined the two halves together and read the inscription again. "Together in / Seireitei"

Little Rukia's face lit up again and she was once again happy. This meant that the sword was now rightfully hers and she could keep it. She happily squeezed Hisana into a hug again and she twirled around with the broken pieces in her arms with the ribbon beautifully trailing behind her.

Byakuya sighed of discontent at the broken sword and he wrapped the still intact part up in the fine silk it was wrapped in before and tied it up with a gold string. Rukia noticed that Byakuya was putting away the sword and she too, decided to put the broken pieces away. Rukia gently tucked away the broken pieces into the white cloth that was covering the sword.

Afterwards, Rukia happily ran to her father to tell him the good news. Though Rukia's happy bright face would soon fade away…

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_**Anata:**Dear, darling. Whatever a wife calls her husband_

_Haha!! Naori broke Sode no Shirayuki!! You should've seen Byakuya's face!! I don't know if it's good so… Review!!!!!_


	2. The Siege

_Again, short chapter. I just split the intro into two and the intro only lasts for like only six minutes._

_Thank you to AmeKage, Byakuxhisa4eva,cosmosxhikaru, vontme, ultimatebishoujo21, Buni, and llykit for reviewing on my first chappy!!!_

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The Siege

The joy of the grand ball was unfortunately short lived. Suddenly, everything turned dark once Sosuke Aizen entered. He was a broad man with piercing eyes and his hair was slicked back. On his face was only a sinister grin. He had an accomplice with him, Gin Ichimaru. Gin also wore a sinister smile that never seemed to fade away. (A/N: _Gin is __**not**__ a bat!!_)

Everyone gasped when the two entered the grand ball. They cautiously moved apart from him, which created a path for Aizen leading to Rukia's father. Rukia's father only showed anger when Aizen approached him.

"How dare you return to the palace", Rukia's father bellowed at him.

"And here I thought I was your confidant", Aizen coolly said.

"Confidant? Hah! You are a traitor! Get out!!" Rukia's father raised his hand towards the door, commanding Aizen to leave the premises.

Aizen smirked and he reached into his robes to bring out a glowing green reliquary. "You think you can banish me?" Aizen asked and waved the reliquary out in front of the father to see. "I have the power to banish you…with a curse!"

The threat had already scared Rukia and Hisana out of their wits. Naori had woken up again and when she saw Aizen, she started whimpering again in fear, but Hisana quietly shushed her up. Byakuya protectively jumped in front of the three sisters with his sword unsheathed. Ichigo also saw this happen because he escaped, again, into the grand ballroom, which was soon to be very dark.

"Mark my words", Aizen said and glared at Rukia's father. "You and your family will die in the fore night. I'm not going to rest until the entire Kuchiki family is dead!" With that, Aizen held up the reliquary and shot a chandelier out of its place. The chandelier dropped and it shattered when it hit the ground. The guests quickly ran out of its way and most barely made it out. Gin grinned at the people trying to evade the chandelier as he and Aizen left the palace.

Consumed by the hatred of the Kuchiki family, Aizen had sold his soul for the power to destroy them. In return for his soul, Aizen was granted with a glowing green reliquary that gave him the ultimate power to destroy the Kuchiki's. Aizen held the reliquary up high and green misty ghost-like creatures spewed out. Slowly those creatures conjured up a large group of followers that led into a siege. The followers grew so large in number that Rukia's father couldn't fight back, but to only escape. The angry mob had already broken into the palace gates and they wrecked everything they found in the premises. All of the beautiful carved hedges of the garden were torn apart by pitchforks and the statue of the head of the Kuchiki line was shattered as people pulled it down from its stand.

Everyone was running for their lives, once they heard the mob had already broken through the gates. Hisana, Byakuya, and Rukia were running as fast as they could to one of the many exits out of the palace. Rukia had little baby Naori in her hands who was peacefully fast asleep amongst the chaos. Rukia suddenly stopped in her tracks when she figured out something was missing.

"Sode no Shirayuki! I forgot it!" Rukia exclaimed and she turned around to run back to her room, where she left it.

"Rukia!! Rukia!! Come back!!" Hisana cried out and she ran after Rukia with Byakuya trailing behind her.

Rukia dodged as many people as she could while she ran. She had a tight hold on Naori so Naori wouldn't fall out. When she made it to her room, Rukia quickly ran to the case where she was keeping Sode no Shirayuki in and she took out the broken pieces from the wrapped whole.

"Hold this for me", Rukia gently whispered to her little sister and tucked one of the halves into the blanket Naori was wrapped in. Rukia tucked the other half into her jacket and she grabbed the fully wrapped sword from its case.

"Rukia!!" Hisana screamed out when she arrived into the room. She suddenly stopped in her tracks when she heard that the followers were coming closer to the room. Hisana grabbed Rukia's hand and she was about to lead Rukia away…until she felt a tug on her coat.

"Come this way! Through our servants quarters!!" The small servant boy said and he led Hisana and the others to a hidden door.

When Rukia had gotten into the secret door, her sword had slipped from her grasp and it fell onto the floor. Noticing this, Rukia was about to turn around and make a quick grab for the sword, but the servant boy pushed her back in. "Go now!!" He pleaded her and he quickly shut the door…just before the henchmen arrive.

The henchmen busted through Rukia's door and looked around, trying to find the princess. They saw only the servant boy and the leader angrily demanded, "Where are they, boy?"

The servant boy frantically looked around him trying to find something heavy and sharp. He picked up a vase and threw it at the henchmen, but that didn't seem to stop them. In fury, one of the henchmen used the butt of his gun and knocked the servant boy out in the head. The servant boy collapsed onto the floor, with his body covering the still wrapped sword behind him.

Outside, Rukia, Hisana, and Byakuya ran as fast as they could over a frozen river that had been frozen on a winter storm. They raced past the many screams coming from the palace and bolted by the many cracks that were on the frozen river. Suddenly, once they passed through a bridge, Aizen had jumped down from the same bridge and took a grasp on Rukia's ankle. Rukia struggled to get her ankle free while screaming, "Help me!! Help me!!"

"Aizen", Hisana exclaimed in surprise. She ran towards Rukia and tugged onto Rukia's arm, trying to free her.

Aizen tried to pull Rukia down so he can finish her off, but after some struggling, Byakuya had taken out his sword and struck the ice below him. A loud crack was heard from the ice below Aizen and he let out a gasp in surprise. It was a small crack at first, but it grew larger and larger due to his weight. The ice was separating under Aizen. In panic he tried pulling Rukia down with him, but his fingers slipped from her ankle. Aizen perished, drowning in icy waters.

Rukia ran as fast as she could from the hole Aizen drowned in and she would've slipped if Hisana hadn't caught her. After some time they made it to the train station, where their train was already departing. Byakuya dashed to the end of the train and he quickly jumped on. He reached out his hand and grabbed Hisana. After some help from the other men, Hisana made it onto the train too. Hisana turned around and reached out as far as she could to get Rukia and Naori into the train.

"Hurry! Take my hand!!" Hisana pleaded out to Rukia.

Rukia tightened her grip on Naori and with her other hand. She reached out and grabbed Hisana's hand. She kept running after the train, trying as hard as she could to not let go of the grip she had on Hisana.

"Don't let go!!" Rukia pleaded out to her elder sister as she kept running. Her purple tinted eyes only showed fear and terror.

Soon, the train gained more speed and it was getting even more difficult for Rukia to keep up with the train. Slowly, her grip on Hisana's hand was lost. Rukia was running after the train with so much momentum, when her gripped slipped, Rukia fell backwards onto the platform of the station. She was knocked out and her hold on Naori slipped as well. The small baby rolled away from Rukia and disappeared within the dense crowd. That was when Naori woke up and started crying.

"RUKIAA!!!" Hisana screamed out in tears as she moved farther away from her lost sister, only that her cries were drowned out by the train itself. Hisana's tears were bursting from her eyes and she buried her head into Byakuya for comfort. That was the last time she would ever see her sisters or her family…

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Review!!! And I'll post!!


	3. One is Found

_Again short…I know. There was practically nothing to explain and the entire St. Petersburg sequence was a musical. I had big trouble writing this. Like I said, I'm not going to make Bleach characters sing in this fic. But that doesn't mean I can't include the lyrics here and there. It helps the story and livens it up more._

_Thanks to SplitToInfinity and Yong yuan for reviewing!!!_

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One is Found

_**10 years later…**_

Karakura Town had drastically changed over the years. The once serene and peaceful town was now a bustling city. Smoke was billowing out of factories and many cranes were there to demolish and rebuild buildings. Everything looked run down and its entire people were working hard in the chilly winter. This happened ever since the Revolution.

Renji pulled his coat tighter over his body as he made his way through the bustling streets. The weather was at its harshest point during this point of winter. Renji jacket was thinning out and soon he will need to get a new one. His entire body was freezing as he walked past a newspaper stand.

_They say her royal brother  
__Will pay a royal sum  
__To someone who can bring the princess back!_

That was today's headline and Renji quickened his pace to find a friend of his. He shouldn't be hard to spot due to his orange head always sticking out of the crowd. Renji quickly ran up a huge flight of stairs and when he got to the top, a shadow emerged from behind the pillars.

"Yo Renji!" The figure whispered to Renji, beckoning for him to come over.

"Ichigo!?" Renji exclaimed surprise since he totally did not expect that. He was about to say something else until Ichigo shut him up and pulled him away in secrecy.

The two men walked by an indoor black market, selling anything that was Kuchiki related. Plates, paintings, jewelry, pajamas, you name it. A man was selling a coat with lined faux fur. He insists it was real, but Ichigo and Renji didn't buy it. But since Renji was freezing, why not? At least it was cheap.

Ichigo and Renji made their way through the black market and into a door leading into the abandoned palace. The two climbed up five or so flights of stairs that led to the top of the palace. Once they made it to their makeshift apartment, Ichigo started packing up all his necessities into a bag.

"Ichigo! I got us a theater!" Renji told his friend and Ichigo grinned from satisfaction.

"Perfect!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Everything's going according to plan. All we need is the girl!!" He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulders. "Just think Renji, no more forging papers, no more stolen goods. We'll have three tickets out of here, soon."

_We'll find a girl to play the part and teach her what to say,  
Dress her up and take her to Seireitei!_

Just than Ichigo and Renji leaped out of their window and slid across the roofs of many buildings. They gracefully landed onto the ground and they quickly made their way through the city goers. Ichigo quickly spotted a trolley and hopped onto it with Renji following after. (A/N: _Crazy ppl jumping off buildings o.O_) It was their ticket out of the palace area and to their destination.

_Comrade, what do you suppose?  
A fascinating mystery!  
__The biggest con in history!  
__The Princess Rukia,_  
_Alive or dead...  
__Who knows?_

(A/N: _Forgetting somebody here??)_

_**Meanwhile…**_

Deep within the confines of Rukongai, in Kusajishi, life was hard and even harder in a nearby orphanage. It was freezing cold outside and there was no ways of heat in the orphanage. Here lived the unfortunate eleven year old, Naomi. She was dressed in a raggedy wool shirt that was belted at her waist, which made her look like she was wearing a skirt. She also wore baggy pants. Her midlength black hair was frizzing up due to the harsh weather and her lips were turning deep purple. At least she had boots and a warm coat to be in. Naomi sat on the front porch of the orphanage, waiting for a friend to come back. Her eyes widened when she saw a small figure appear over the snow banks.

"Yachiru!!" Naomi cried out and waved for her friend to come.

"Nao-chan!!" Yachiru happily screamed back and being hyper as she was, she barrelled herself into Naomi and that alone forced Naomi pummeling back into the door. "I'm back!!"

"Naomi!! Guess what!" Yachiru exclaimed out. "I'm getting adopted."

Those words stung Naomi hard due to the fact that she had to hear it again the second time. Her face turned from happy and alive to depressed and gloomy. "I know, I heard", she solemly said. "The girls were talking about it a couple of days ago." With her amber eyes burning, she gave a serious look to Yachiru. "I don't think this guy is a good guy. I heard he killed everyone in Zaraki."

"I know", Yachiru replied, but her smile only widened. "But Kenny saved me! I was walking down the forest to get some food and a bunch of thugs attacked me. Then, Kenny appeared and he saved me. I wasn't afraid of him at all!! Now he's going to adopt me!!"

Yachiru gradually stopped yelling when she saw Naomi's face fall. "What's wrong?" She asked Naomi. "Aren't you happy for me?"

Naomi swallowed up her pride and lifted her face. "Of course I'm happy for you!! It just that…" Naomi's hearty grin slowly turned into a frown. "It's just that once you're gone, I won't have anyone to play with. All the other girls are mean to me."

"Don't worry!!" Yachiru's face perked up again. "I'm sure someone will adopt you! Someday you'll have a family just like me!!"

Naomi's face saddened again. She pulled her legs closer to herself and quietly sulked. Yachiru was going to leave tomorrow morning and Naomi didn't want that to happen. Once Yachiru leaves, Naomi will be all alone again and the girls at the orphanage hated her because of her yellow eyes. Yachiru was the only family and friend she ever had. Slowly, Naomi resolved to…

Naomi had taken all the curtains she could find in the enire orphanages. She found around twenty or so which was enough. She tied all of the curtains together to form an ersatz rope and she slung the rope out of her window. Naomi had resolved to…run away, since running away was better than staying in the snake pit called an orphanage. Naomi steadily eased herself out of her window and she used her makeshift rope to guide herself to the ground. Before she could start running, she stopped when she heard someone call her name.

"Nao-chan!!" Yachiru called out, which made Naomi stop in her tracks. "Here!" She threw down an object wrapped in cloth.

Naomi easily caught the wrapped object in one of her hands and her eyes widened when she saw what it was. It was a piece of metal that was completely white and it looked like it was shaped like the hilt of a sword. "Yachiru…I thought I gave it to you as a present?" Naomi asked the pink haired child. It was true though, Naomi deemed the object worthless since it served no purpose for anything. Yachiru thought it was pretty so she got the thing.

"I know", Yachiru replied. "But it's going to help you…because what it says means that you do have a family!!"

Naomi turned the metal thing around and sure enough, engraved on it's side was "Together in". Naomi's eyes widened again when she saw this since she never realized the thing was engraved in the first place. Her heart jumped when she read those letters and joy overcame her. It meant that she does have a family to go to.

"Arigato Yachiru!!!" Naomi called and waved good bye to her friend.

Yachiru smiled and silently waved good bye. _I'm so glad,_ she happily thought as she watched her friend disappear into the woods. _Now both of us can be happy!_

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I just love the fact that my OC has no impact on the society around her. Yeah, Rukia has way more attention than her!! Though Naomi/Naori still is pretty important in the story.

Review!!


	4. And Another

_How did I come up with the name Lucia for Rukia? Well in the Japanese language, the "L's" are pronounced like "R's" So mix up the letters a bit and you get Rukia's faux name. Besides Lucia kinda looks like Rukia, right?_

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And Another

A woman of eighteen years and an old lady walked out of an orphanage that rested in Inuzuri. The woman wore a long coat and a raggedy dress that ended just below her knees with black stockings and brown boots. She wore a royal purple scarf around her neck and a newspaper boy cap, which hid most of her hair save for the one long strand that ran through her eyes. The rest of her hair was clipped back up and it was hidden by the cap. As the woman walked out of the orphanage, she kept ignoring whatever the old hag was trying to say to her and kept waving back at the children who were bidding her good bye.

"I got you a job in the fish factory", the old lady kept babbling on. "You go straight down this road till you hit a fork in the road. Go left-"

"BYE!!" The woman shouted and waved back at the children. "BYE EVERYBODY!!"

"Are you even listening to me?!" The old hag said, irked.

"I'm listening", the woman grimly replied. _You old hag, _she amusingly thought to herself.

The old lady got really ticked off and she pulled onto the woman's scarf and dragged her to the gate. While tugging on the woman's scarf, the old lady kept ranting, "You've been a thorn in my side ever since you were brought here. Acting like the Queen of Shiba instead of the nameless, orphan you are!! For the last ten years, I fed you, I clothed you, I-"

"Kept a roof over my head", the woman dully finished the old lady, which really ticked her off. All the eighteen year old could do was roll her eyes when the old lady was not looking, as her scarf was sharply pulled off. She really hated the old hag.

"How is it you don't have a clue to who you were before you came to us, but you can remember all that?!" The old hag exclaimed and she angrily slammed open the gate.

"But I do have a clu-", the raven-haired woman was about to say as she held up a piece of white metal with a ribbon attached to the end, until she was cut off by the hag.

"Augh!" The old hag scoffed at the eighteen year old. "I know. That stupid piece of scrap metal you call a clue. It only says "Seireitei" and nothing else!" The old lady snatched the white ribbon and yanked it out of the raven-haired woman hands. She swung it around by it's ribbon, all in a while taunting the eighteen-year old. "So you want to go to Seireitei to find your family? Huh?"

The woman nodded eagerly in reply.

"Aww, Little Miss Lucia. " The old lady's fake smile quickly transitioned into a scowl. She took Lucia's arm and dragged her out of the gates of the orphanage. "It's time to take your place in life, in life and in line. And be grateful too."

The purple scarf came flying out of her hands and it landed into Lucia's open arms. Then out of nowhere, her only clue to a family came flying out and it would of stung Lucia in the eye if she hadn't dodged in time. The piece of metal made a loud clang when it hit the tree and it disappeared into a snow bank.

"Have fun in Seireitei!!!" The old lady cackled out and she slammed the gates closed, leaving Lucia in the cold winter.

Lucia sighed of discontent and she quickly ran over to where the piece of metal was. After some digging into the snow banks, Lucia finally found a stray ribbon sticking out. Lucia grabbed the white metal and tucked it into her jacket before walking down the only path in the entire district.

"Be grateful", she grimly mumbles to herself as she walked. "Be grateful Lucia, she says."

Lucia halfheartedly kicked some snow on her way there. Though unknown to her, something has been following her up to the fork in the road. Once Lucia made it to the fork in the road, she angrily screamed out loud, "I am grateful. GRATEFUL TO GET AWAY!!!" Lucia angrily looked up at the sign that pointed the directions of each road. "Go left, she says. Well I know what's to the left. I'll be an orphan forever."

Lucia then turned her head to the sign that pointed to Karakura Town. "But if I go right, maybe I'll find…" She sighed and pulled out the white metal and stared at the engraved words. " Whoever gave me this thing…" Lucia knew that some piece of metal must be important and precious since the engraved words were carved so beautifully and the metal was made of pure white.

"This is crazy!" Lucia shook her head, which was filled with doubts. "Me!? Go to Seireitei!? Only royals and high officials are ever allowed in there!" Lucia sat down on a snow bank in exhaustion. "Send me a sign, ANYTHING!!!"

Elsewhere a strange shadowy figure approached the still sitting woman. It slowly made it's way to Lucia and when it got close enough…it lunged out for her. One sound was made from that creature, "ONNEEE-SAANN!!!!!!!"

"What!" Lucia gasped in surprise and she quickly turned around, only to find something soft had landed on her chest. She looked down to see…a plushy like thing tightly hugging her chest.

"Onee-san!! You've come to save me from this harsh winter weather!!! I'm so happy!!" The thing yelled out with hearts in its eyes and a slight blush on its cheeks.

_Please tell me this is not the sign you're sending me._ Lucia numbly thought as she continued to watch the plushy grope her chest. "Excuse me", she said and she yanked the plushy off of her. Lucia held it dangling in front of her face. She could see it clearly now. It was a lion-like stuffed animal that looked like it has been poorly made. "Who-What are you?" She curiously asked.

The stuffed animal only smiled and he gave that weird thumbs-up sign, "My name is Kon! Short for Gikongan, but you can just call me Kon."

Lucia stared at the stuffed animal like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She slowly sighed and threw Kon away from her. "Leave me alone. I'm waiting for a sign." _And make it a better one than this_, she added in the back of her head.

"Eh!" Kon exclaimed out of curiosity once he got his head out of the snow banks. "Why are you waiting for a sign? Huh? Huh?" He jumped into Lucia's personal space, which really ticked her off, but she didn't show it as she patiently waited. "Huh? Huh?" Now Kon had went too far, he grabbed onto Lucia's scarf and started pulling it in many different direction. Even encircling her with it, which was tying up Lucia's legs.

"Hey!" Lucia exclaimed in surprise. "Quit it!! Stop!"

Lucia finally fell down when she tripped on her scarf that Kon was pulling. She rolled down onto a snow bank and once she landed, she was facing to the right of the fork. Kon also ran up ten feet into the path leading to Karakura town.

"Great", Lucia sarcastically said. "Some cat-like stuffed thing wants me to go to Karakura Town."

"Hey!"

"Fine, you got me!" Lucia finally gave in, retrieved her scarf, and walked towards the path leading to Karakura Town. Not after giving Kon a couple of beatings on the head for groping her chest.

_**Elsewhere…**_

Unlike Inuzuri or Kusajishi, the district Junrinan was a peaceful district. Practically everyone got along with one another and there were hardly any fights. Junrinan also sat at the edge of Karakura town, which made food and other supplies easy to find. This was where Toshiro Hitsugaya and his granny were living. Hitsugaya was a young short boy, with strange white spiky hair, who was taking care of his granny at the time. Though Hitsugaya never took notice of himself, his granny noticed his potential.

"Toshiro…why don't you go to Seireitei?" His granny asked Hitsugaya which made him stop doing whatever he was doing. "You have a much better life there, instead of having to take care of me all the time. Don't you want to visit Hinamori-chan?"

"But then who's going to take care of you?" Hitsugaya countered without blinking an eye. "You're gonna be living all by yourself if I go away. Besides, why would I want to go to some stupid place where all the snobby people live?"

"I know you feel that way", His granny sighed a little, seeing Hitsugaya was still a little stubborn. Even if he matured a lot throughout his years, he still had some traits that would never die away. "But do you want to take care of me for the rest of your life? Here, you have a rare sword that can only be held by royals or high officials. You're neither one of these and you still have one. I saw you training with it and you're not bad."

Hitsugaya glanced at the long dark blue sword that was strapped to his back. The sword had a light blue hilt and its guard was in a shape of a four-pointed star. He had won it in a very luck game of top spinning and ever since Hitsugaya had gotten the sword, he would train with it every time he had free time on his hands. Sometimes Hinamori would visit and spar with him, but she would be immediately called back to Seireitei before they could even finish their match.

"I'm gonna go get more firewood", Hitsugaya said and he quickly walked to the front entrance. He grabbed his black coat, to go against the chilly weather, and he was about to leave the house when something nearby caught his eye. Some girl, dressed in rags, was laying unconscious buried in one of the snow banks that surrounded their home.

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Review!!!!!!


	5. Hitsugaya's Joining

_Cute, funny, and short chapter I like to add in between the big ones. Very Hitsugaya-centered._

_Thanks to HitsugayaDream__ for reviewing!! Maybe others should review too!_

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Hitsugaya's Joining

Her world was dark at the moment. Naomi was slowly and steadily prodding her way through the snow. It was very cold and Naomi was close to hypothermia. The wind had picked up and it knocked her out cold. Naomi's mind was still a little clear though and she had felt sturdy hands pick her up from the fluffy snow. The hands felt like it was the same shape and size of hers and even though they felt small, they were strong enough to carry someone like Naomi. She felt warmth and comfort a couple of moments later and that's when she was truly knocked out.

Naomi slept soundly, for she was wrapped in thick blankets and she was still wearing her coat. Thoughts were running through her head while she slept like, "_Where am I?" _or "_What is going on?"_ These questions were answered once she woke up. When her amber eyes shone through her face, she met the wrinkled beady eyes of a small, elderly lady.

"Toshiro!!" The old lady shouted out in excitement. "She woke up."

Naomi looked dazed around her. The room she was in was pretty large. She was sleeping in clean, white blanket with a heater placed near her. Suddenly she spotted a boy walking through one of the four doors of the room. He was around her age and he looked weird in his own way like Naomi. He wore a simple outfit that consisted of a white shirt with black pants and black shoes.

"And I thought she would be dead by now", Toshiro said once he entered the room. He eyed at Naomi who tiredly got up from her makeshift bed. "It's freezing out, why were you wandering outside?"

"Well…I need to get to the nearest town", Naomi said. Hitsugaya's grandma gave her some tea, which she gratefully accepted. Hitsugaya heard what he needed to know and he quickly turned back to head off to his room. "Wait!" Naomi called out, making Hitsugaya gradually stop in his tracks. "Thank you for bringing me in."

Hitsugaya was abnormally quiet once Naomi said her thanks. This was when Naomi had gotten more curious. "What? Is something the matter?"

"Yeah", Hitsugaya smirked at Naomi, further confusing her. "Lose some weight."

Furious and angry, Naomi chucked her tea at Hitsugaya, which he effortlessly dodged. Seeing that the tea was in vain, Naomi swiped out the white metal she had and threw that at Hitsugaya as well. Hitsugaya easily caught the hilt with one hand and he was about to chuck it back until his grandma stopped him.

"Toshiro", Hitsugaya's grandma scolded. "Just because Hinamori left, doesn't mean that you can tease any girl that just happens to be around the corner."

Hitsugaya scoffed at his grandma's scolding and he walked over to Naomi to hand back her weird white object. She snatched it away from his grip and held it tightly in her arms.

"So which town are you planning to go to?" Hitsugaya's grandma curiously asked.

"I don't know…wherever this leads me I guess…" Naomi replied and she showed the white metal to the grandma.

Hitsugaya's grandma gently took the hilt and she carefully examined it. "Ah! So you have a rare part of a sword. This thing can only be held by royals and high officials." She finalized and handed the metal back to Naomi. "But since you only have a small part of it, it's pretty useless."

"Where can I find others that have this?" Naomi asked, excited that she was getting closer.

"In Seireitei, my grandson knows the way there and he also has a sword like this." The grandma replied, eyeing at Hitsugaya, hoping he would comply.

"No", Hitsugaya bluntly said. "Why would I want to go to Seireitei? Much less escort an orphan there."

"But I'm sure you'll be happier there", Hitsugaya's grandma argued. "You'll be with Hinamori and you'll be helping a girl in need. Besides do you really want to live alone and die old, taking care of me?"

"She's right, you know", Naomi quipped out. "You're halfway there", she made an obvious note to Hitsugaya's hair, which he took very offensively.

"Fine!" Hitsugaya yelled back, exasperatedly. "I help the orphan go to Seireitei."

Hitsugaya was so preoccupied with his outburst that he didn't take notice what was coming for him. Another cup of tea went flying and it hit Hitsugaya right in his forehead, slightly burning it. He grabbed his forehead in pain and he glanced around the room, trying to see who was the person who did that.

"It's not "orphan". It's Naomi ", Naomi said and she rested her arms that were tired from the wind-up.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Lucia glanced out of the pile of snow she was just buried in. A carriage was gliding through the snow on the path she was walking and it almost ran her over, if she hadn't dodged in time.

"Hey!!" Kon screamed out in anger and he comically ran into the middle of the path. "Watch where you going!?"

"Zip it, Kon", Lucia said. She was super tired for that she had to walk like a thousand miles and her legs were starting to give out on her. She was exhausted and the annoying plushie thing was really getting on her nerves. What was she thinking when she let Kon join her???

_Heart, don't fail me now!  
Courage, don't desert me!  
Don't turn back now that we're here  
People always say  
Life is full of choices  
No one ever mentions fear!  
Or how the world can seem so vast  
On this journey...to the past_

Lucia stood back on her legs, her purple eyes burning brighter. Her motivation restored, Lucia continued walking on the path she was on. Kon followed closely behind her. Though Kon was blabbering of who knows what the entire time, Lucia simply ignored him and continued her way. Through some tough moments and the many bumps in the road, Lucia finally made it to Karakura Town. Exhausted, Lucia collapsed into the ground and fell asleep. Though it was very cold out, her burning heart and courage kept her warm the entire time.

_Let it lead me to my past  
and bring me home...  
At last!_

_**Meanwhile…**_

Hitsugaya had woken up earlier than usual today, but he couldn't beat his own grandma. His grandma was already sitting on the frozen front porch, a pink blanket wrapped tightly against her frail body. Steadily Hitsugaya approached her, wanting to know if she was ok with all this.

"I know what you're thinking", his grandma said once Hitsugaya was close enough. "I know you've been holding back so you can take care of me, thinking you didn't want to leave your old granny all alone…but you know, just thinking of me and hurting yourself like that. I think for me as your grandmother, that's the hardest of all."

Hitsugaya was stunned when he heard this, but nonetheless he bowed down respectfully to his old granny and said back to her. "Thank you…" He turned to leave, but was stopped by his grandma once again.

"Oh! And wake Naomi up", Hitsugaya's grandma called back. "The train leaves today and you two need to get on this one or you'll have to wait another week."

Hitsugaya nodded and he went back into the room Naomi was sleeping in. She was sound asleep, peacefully like there was no care in the world. Her chest slowly heaved up and down as she slept and she barely made any movement. That was until Hitsugaya intruded on her beauty sleep…

"Wake up!!" Hitsugaya loudly yelled into Naomi's ear and she sprung up from her bed from the surprise. She catapulted at least five feet into the air and landed on the futon she was sleeping on.

"What kind of a wake up call is this?!" Naomi yelled back at Hitsugaya, who clearly ignored her.

"We need to leave now", Hitsugaya said and threw Naomi coat back at her. Naomi easily caught it in her arms and she quickly slipped it back on.

"Why so early?" She asked as she was putting her coat on.

"Because it's a long walk," Hitsugaya responded and he grabbed for his own black coat. He also took his sword with him for special purposes. He opened the door that led to the front porch and walked out, while waiting for Naomi to follow.

"Thanks again, Toshiro's grandmother!!" Naomi loudly thanked the frail old lady who sheepishly waved back at her.

Naomi ran to where Hitsugaya was still waiting for her. "So…how are we going to get to this Seireitei place?" She asked when she had gotten close enough.

"We're gonna walk all the way over to Karakura town and take a train from there", Hitsugaya responded and he started walking up a narrow path that led away from his home. His grandmother smiled at Hitsugaya's departure and she went in the house to warm herself up. It was getting pretty cold again.

"How long's the walking part gonna take?" Naomi asked as she continued struggling to catch up to Hitsugaya. How could someone the same height and age move so easily through the three feet of snow? _He must have grown too attached to the snow or something_, Naomi resolved.

"A couple of minutes…half an hour at most", Hitsugaya responded and he stopped again so Naomi could catch up. She was slowing down and she was struggling as she walked. It wasn't a surprise for Hitsugaya since he had to pick her up. Naomi had a pretty nice hourglass figure for someone her age and she was a slim girl that had a body anyone would die for. But for some unknown reason, she was as heavy as a ton of bricks being piled up onto one another. When Hitsugaya had to carry her, he had to make a couple of stops to rest and Naomi was only ten feet away from the house! How can someone with the most perfect body shape weigh so much? That fact is almost impossible!

"Say anything about my weight and I'll tattle on you to your granny", Naomi angrily warned Hitsugaya. The problem that she couldn't move was that the snow was too high. Her weight had nothing to do with it, but Hitsugaya thought otherwise.

Hitsugaya sighed and gave her a hand. Naomi gratefully took it. Surprisingly, Hitsugaya didn't struggle as he pulled Naomi through the three feet snow. Naomi was able to carry her own weight when she was moving and Hitsugaya didn't feel anything tugging onto his arm. Naomi was now light as a feather!!

"You seriously need to see a doctor about your weight issues", Hitsugaya said and that earned him a painful slap on the cheek from Naomi.

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**Moral of this chapter:**

**_NEVER__ ask/tell/criticize a girl about her weight_**_**

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Hehe…I had to make this funny somehow. Though this is the only chapter where I will make fun of my OC's weight. Though if you want another weight insult about Naomi. Review!!! And I might consider.


	6. When in Doubt, Dance it Out

_Rukia centered because this is the scene where Anya dances in the ballroom. I did not do the following: have ghost-like things pop out of portraits, have Lucia/Rukia dance with her father, and of course, make her sing. Of course was being glitchy as usual so this chapter will look weirder than the others. They really need to fix the Document Manager settings since it's screwing with my chapters!!_

_Thanks to_ _SilverStella_ _for reviewing!!!_

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When in Doubt

**Dance it Out**

Lucia made her way up to the train station. "One ticket to Seireitei please", she asked as she approached an obese man sitting behind the counter.

"Exit visa", the man demanded.

"Exit visa?" Lucia repeated, dumbfounded.

"No exit visa. No ticket!!!!!!" The man yelled back at her and slammed his windows shut at Lucia's frostbitten face.

_Wow. Rude much, _Lucia haughtily thought and she was about to walk out of her place in line when an old woman stopped her. She turned around and the old lady motioned her to come closer.

"See Ichigo", the old woman whispered in Lucia's ear. "He can help."

"Where can I find him?" Lucia anxiously asked. Maybe this Ichigo could be her ticket out of Karakura Town.

"At the old abandoned palace", the old woman pulled Lucia closer so her whisper could not be heard. "But you didn't hear it from me!"

"Oh!" Lucia quietly exclaimed. Except for the fact that she didn't know where this "old abandoned palace" was actually. Practically every building in Karakura Town was run down and old. She was about to ask the old lady for directions, but the old woman quickly ushered her away.

"Go, go", the old lady motioned Lucia away and she stood back in her place in line.

"Ichigo…" Lucia wondered out loud.

Kon was enjoying his place in between Lucia's arms and her body. But when he heard Lucia thinking about Ichigo, he couldn't help but wonder whom this Ichigo was too. Maybe he's a nice guy who would take extra good care of him like Lucia was doing… (A/N: _We all know how dead wrong that is)_

Nearby Hitsugaya and Naomi heard this confrontation and Naomi started freaking out for she didn't have one. Hitsugaya knew that an orphan like Naomi wouldn't have an exit visa. He had one, but he never used it since he had no reason to go beyond Karakura Town. Hitsugaya turned back and walked away from the train station.

"Where are you going?" Naomi whispered to him and followed as well.

"To the old palace", Hitsugaya replied. "I hear there's this conman who makes fake passes."

**_Meanwhile…_**

Ichigo and Renji were sitting in the theater for five hours straight, almost dead from having to listen to one horrible performance of Rukia after another. Every actress tried their best, but none of them were good enough to fool Byakuya.

"And I look like Rukia too!" One impersonator shrilled out and she made very unnecessary dramatic hand gestures to herself. She was a woman with the right raven hair and purple eyes, except she was at least six feet tall! Not to mention she was a horrible actress.

"Nice, nice…" Ichigo mumbled and he scribbled another name out of the list. He was almost approaching the very bottom. "Next!"

Another lady came out onto the stage. She wore a long fur coat and smoke was coming out of her mouth. She walked out onto the stage and seductively dropped her fur coat. "Brother, it's me. Rukia." She struck a drag queen pose to go along with it.

Renji groaned at the horrible last performance and he banged his head against the table. This was getting even more hopeless.

"Oh brother…" Ichigo grumbled out and he scribbled out the very last name on their audition list.

After the drag queen woman left, Renji and Ichigo packed up their bags to leave. Renji made a quick grab for the audition papers of each woman and shuffled his way through them. Each one of them was bad and all of them were not going to make the cut for this.

"That's it, Ichigo", Renji exasperatedly exclaimed as he threw away the audition papers one by one. "We went through all of them and none of them are good enough to pretend to be Rukia." He crumpled up the last paper and threw that aside.

"We'll find her, she's right here under our noses", Ichigo replied in enthusiasm. Though at this moment, he was very unsure if this was going to work. But it would work since he had all the evidence to prove it.

They walked away from the theater, though they didn't notice a petite, raven haired woman walking by them. Ichigo bumped shoulders with her and the stuffed animal she was holding fell right out of her hands.

"Excuse me!" Lucia said, irritated and she picked up Kon from the snow for the 19th time.

Ichigo promptly ignored her and continued his way. "And if we don't find her, we can always try that little sister of hers", Ichigo joked.

"Oh right! I almost forgot she had a little sister", Renji replied. "Now what was her name again…" Renji scrunched up his temples in thought since the name had always slipped out of his head. The little sister of Rukia was claimed to be alive since her remains were never found and she was missing just like Rukia. But since Rukia's case was more famous than hers, it won't be long till everyone forgot about her.

"I think her name was Naori. I'm not sure", Ichigo said. "But she's not going to be of any help. She was only a baby when the siege happened, so she wouldn't remember anything that happened. Besides where are you going to find a small little girl with blue hair and yellow eyes?? Rukia's a lot easier than that."

Renji nodded and the two continued walking.

Elsewhere Lucia stopped a man to ask for directions. "Where can I find the old palace?" She attentively listened as the man pointed in a direction and walked away. She rubbed her shoulder a little from the pain of bumping into Ichigo.

"You okay, onee-san?" Kon asked in probably fake worry.

"Yeah", Lucia replied back and she let go of the shoulder she was rubbing.

"Really?!! I'm so glad you're alright!!!" Kon screamed out and made a jump for Lucia's chest again and she grabbed him before he even made contact. Soon Kon's face met the cold, hard, snowy ground and Lucia repeatedly crushed him with her foot.

"Why do you always do this to me?" Kon whined out between smashes. "I just wanted to hug (glomp) you!!"

"I don't mind", Lucia said dully between repeated stepping. "It's just that it gets super annoying if you do it every ten minutes."

"Ok stop!! I promise I won't do it anymore!!" Kon pleaded out and Lucia promptly stopped her stomping.

Lucia gathered up her scarf and she started walking towards the old palace. It was just as the man described once she made it there. The palace was grand and huge, but it was empty and hollow like a hole of a hollow. All the windows were very musty and there were numerous cracks in the bricks of the walls. Lucia made her way around the palace, trying to see if there was a way into it. Though every little thing was boarded up: windows, doors, everything. There was practically no entrance at all. Lucia's footsteps echoed through the premises as she kept walking around the outside of the palace. Soon afterwards Kon had already disappeared from Lucia's sight.

"Kon, Kon!" Lucia quietly yelled out his name but there was no answer. She peered into the cracks of a boarded up door. "Kon, where are you?" She whispered again. _That stupid little toy!!!_ She angrily thought and she reached out to the wooden board planks and tugged as hard as she could. After two or more so jerks and yanks, the board came flying right out of its nail socket. Lucia toppled down onto the floor from such momentum of a tightly secured board and the wooden plank fell down too, making a very loud racket as it crashed down.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Did you hear something?" Ichigo asked Renji as they ate their dinner for the night.

Renji shook his head and continued to eat his two full bowls of rice.

_**Back to Lucia…**_

Lucia made her way up another flight of stairs. The palace was just full of these grand staircases and it was starting to get a bit tiring. The entire palace was just as empty as it was outside and it seemed like no one has walked on the beautifully decorated carpet for years.

"Hello! Anyone here?" Lucia yelled out and she took off her scarf that had previously wrapped her neck. It was significantly getting much warmer as she made her way deeper into the palace. Kon came out from the bottom of the stairs and he quickly followed after Lucia.

Lucia walked up another flight of stairs and she appeared in another abandoned room. The room was empty, no surprise there, except for a long table that ran on the side. That table held cases full of jewels, vases, chandeliers, and plates that were laid out as if for an exhibit. Lucia walked over to one of the plates and gently blew on its surface. The dust that had gathered there for many years gave way and it separated itself, giving the old plate mirror-like properties.

Lucia gingerly picked up the plate and looked on at her reflection. Suddenly her mind started getting a little hazy and her head was starting to hurt a lot. Almost in a flash, pictures flew by her mind and there were way too many to be recognized. All she could make out of it was a small girl with raven hair happily dancing with a man and a little baby being held in a woman's arms. Lucia shook off the uneasy visuals and placed the plate down.

She directed her attention to a vase that laid nearby. It was decorated with black butterflies and it just as musty as the plate, but it shone with more brilliance. "This place…" Lucia whispered and she gently felt the surface of the vase. "It's like a memory from a dream…" She walked away from the vase and approached a door nearby. A little song Lucia had remembered played in the back of her mind. All she ever knew about it was that she used it to sing herself to sleep and nothing else. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a life that she could remember.

_Dancing bears,  
Painted wings,  
Things I almost remember,  
And a song someone sings  
Once upon a December._

_Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory..._

She imagined beautiful woman adorned in sparkling dresses that were dancing with handsome men that all dressed alike. It was like a formal ball. Unconsciously, Lucia stripped out of her heavy jacket and slowly walked down a grand flight of stairs. She was unconsciously dancing with the song that played in the back of her head, being stuck in her little dream world.

_Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory..._

_Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart  
Used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember..._

Lucia could imagine herself being dressed in a sparkling dress of her own and dancing happily with many partners. Suddenly another picture flashed through her mind and Lucia quickly turned around to meet a strange man. She was seeing this man a lot through her frequent memory flashes. A man that looked like pristieged, royal person. He also looked kind and good natured. Lucia carefully walked over to the man that was lurking her memories.

_And a song  
Someone sings  
Once upon a December_

Lucia was inches away from the man of her memories. He had held out his hand for her to take. She reached out to him and their fingers were only centimeters away. Lucia anxiously leaned out and when her fingers were only a millimeter away from his, a yell was heard that instantly flashed Lucia back to reality.

"HEY!!" Ichigo loudly yelled out. "What are you doing in here?!"

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That's the end of that. Though I did include all of the lyrics of "Once Upon a December", Lucia/Rukia didn't sing it at all. It was as stated in the text, 'playing in the back of her head.' But she had to somehow get in the middle of the ballroom and I couldn't just make her walk over there…so I made her dance it out.

_Review!!!!_


	7. Striking a Deal

_Man, I just love torturing the heck out of Kon. He's such an easy target!! And also in Kon's world, Onee-san is Lucia/Rukia and Onee-chan is Naomi/Naori. He even hits on the little girls, the little pervert!!_

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Striking a Deal

"HEY!!" Ichigo loudly yelled out. "What are you doing in here?!"

Lucia was caught in the middle of the ballroom, kneeling on her knees. Kon was staring out at Lucia with his mouth, trying to comprehend all that weird movement Lucia was doing. With the little pride she still had, Lucia picked herself off the ground and ran as fast as possible to her things. But Ichigo was faster as it took him mere seconds to catch up with Lucia.

"Hey!" Ichigo dashed across the floor at an amazing speed when Lucia was still scrambling up a flight of stairs. "Wait! Stop, stop, stop!"

Lucia exasperatedly sighed, knowing she was caught and very quick too. She turned around to face Ichigo, who was a little irked to recognize her at first.

Ichigo gasped a little for breath after running a good fifty meters. He slowly looked up to Lucia right when she was turning towards him. "Now how did you get in h-here…" His voice gradually faded away once he saw Lucia clearly. Lucia shrugged off his question as she too was catching her breath.

"You!" Renji yelled out, but Ichigo stopped him.

"Do you see what I see?" Ichigo quietly whispered to Renji.

Renji looked clearly at Lucia, trying to make out what Ichigo was referring to. "No" He was stupid enough to say and Ichigo kicked him in the ass to make him see more clearly. "Yes! Yes, I do!!" Renji squealed out when Ichigo kicked him.

"Are you Ichigo?" Lucia faintly asked once the fiasco was over.

"That depends who's asking", Ichigo slyly replied and he coolly walked over to Lucia.

"My name is Lucia and I need travel papers", Lucia lightly said once Ichigo was heading towards her. She was taken aback a little once she saw Ichigo's height. "They say you're the man to look for, but I'm not suppose to tell who-"

Lucia gradually stopped blabbering once she noticed Ichigo was encircling her, glancing at every detail of her there is. "Hey! Why are you circling me? What are you, a vulture in another life?"

Kon suddenly leaped out of Lucia's jacket, ready to give Ichigo a good pounding for intruding. "You better not be thinking of doing something to my Onee-saaan!!!!!" He struck into his dynamic kicks. "I'm gonna pummel you to pieces!!" Kon landed as a soft little pillow on Ichigo. Ichigo was already surprised when Kon had jumped out at him.

"Whoa! What is this?" Ichigo exclaimed and yanked Kon out to see what was making Kon tick.

"Hands off the Konster!!" Kon yelled and he slapped Ichigo's hand away from him.

That action alone was already pissing Ichigo off. Nobody should tell Ichigo what to do even if they were a stuffed little toy. Ichigo grabbed Kon and balled him up into a tight, compact softball and he threw him out the park. Kon sailed across the entire ballroom and landed on another staircase opposite of the one Lucia was on. He landed out of sight and what was heard was a soft thump that meant Kon hadn't hit the ground and he probably landed on something else. After that, a really loud shouting was heard that sounded something like, "ONEE-CHAAN!!!!" and a scream of terror and surprise followed afterwards. Soon sounds of intense punching and pummeling were heard throughout the entire ballroom. After the brawl, everything was silent…

"Seems we're not alone", Renji whispered to Ichigo and Ichigo nodded in agreement.

"You!! Come out!!" Ichigo bellowed out to the empty staircase.

A couple of seconds passed and nothing happened. Ichigo was about to walk over there and drag the perpetrators out when he suddenly noticed a white spiky head appearing out of the staircase with the banged up Kon hanging from his clenched fist. Kon was pretty beat up judging from his half ripped ears and arms and his stuffing that was oozing out.

"Who are you?" Ichigo yelled out to the stranger.

"I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya", Hitsugaya said and he glanced at Ichigo with a skeptic look. "I think this is yours." He held up the battered Kon and threw Kon up high in the air. His foot connected with Kon in midair and that sent Kon flying back at Lucia. (A/N: _Like in episode 132 where Hitsugaya plays _soccer) Lucia, on the other hand, sidestepped to her right that led Kon to landing into a portrait behind her instead.

"I don't think you were the one that screamed", Ichigo told Hitsugaya and he glanced at another shadow that was hidden under the staircase's shadow.

Another figure came out from the stairs. She wore a shocked face and her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest where Kon probably landed. Her hair was greatly disheveled and it was frizzing up more and more by the minute. She came out and quickly stood behind Hitsugaya and peered out to everything around her.

"What are you doing here?" Renji asked to the two kids.

"Well we-" Hitsugaya was about to answer when Ichigo cut in.

"What!!!" Ichigo yelled out. "I can't hear you!!"

Hitsugaya sighed of irritancy. _How come he didn't say that before?_ He grimly thought. _Would've saved us a lot of time. _Hitsugaya arched back and sped through the entire ballroom floor like a speeding bullet. He even surpassed Ichigo's speed! He made it to where Ichigo was in a few seconds.

Naomi held out her hand to where Hitsugaya was a couple of seconds ago. _You could've waited for me!!_ She helplessly thought and she started running too. Surprisingly she was just as fast as Hitsugaya and beat him to Ichigo.

Hitsugaya looked at her with a very confused and surprised face. _What the heck is she made out of?_ He thought to himself.

Amidst all the frantic confusion of everyone, Naomi yanked on Ichigo's shirt to get his attention. "Hey!" She yelled out and Ichigo glanced down at the almost-an-afro girl. "So why did you throw away that thing?"

"That "thing" was getting on my nerves", Ichigo replied and gave an irked glare at Kon who in turn, stuck out his tongue at Ichigo.

"That's because you were harassing my Lucia-san", Kon pompously told Ichigo and ripped himself off the painting, showing little eight year old Rukia.

"That's because Lucy looks a lot like her", Ichigo replied and gestured to a painting of the Kuchiki family. The resemblance was remarkable since Lucia had every little feature Rukia had. The same raven hair and the same purple tinted eyes. Lucia even had a tired cold look Rukia would usually wear when she was tired like she was on the painting. No doubt Lucia was the "perfect one".

"It's Lucia", Lucia corrected him with a huge amount of irritancy in her voice. "Lu-ci-a. Get that into your head."

"Alright, alright", Ichigo exasperatedly said. This woman was already pissing him off. "So **Lucia**…is there a last name to that?"

"Well…no", Lucia rubbed her temples a little from the painful headache she was having at the moment. "This is going to sound weird", she babbled on. "I don't have a last name…I was found wandering in the streets when I was eight years old."

"And before that?" Ichigo asked in curiosity.

Lucia looked up and continued babbling, "I know it's really strange, but I have zip memories of anything of my past."

"Well…that's perfect", Ichigo mumbled to himself, which luckily Lucia didn't notice at all.

"But I do have a clue and that is Seireitei. Which is why I need travel papers and you're the one that's going to help me right", Lucia finished her rambling and stared on at Ichigo hoping he would help.

"Really! I'm going to Seireitei too!!" Naomi excitedly said.

"Is that so?" Ichigo said and he quickly motioned for Renji to give him something. Renji reached into his coat and produced a couple pieces of yellow paper. Hitsugaya quickly caught on to the pieces of paper and realized that they were tickets to a circus and not a train, but he didn't say anything.

"You see, Renji and I here are going to Seireitei and I got four-well this one is", Ichigo sheepishly said and threw out the extra circus ticket. Luckily neither Naomi nor Lucia recognized it. Once Lucia saw those tickets, she eagerly started jumping up and down for them and Ichigo had to stretch his arms up high to have the tickets out of her reach. "I got four tickets to Seireitei and two of them are for those two, Rukia and Naori Kuchiki."

"Now that I think about it", Ichigo said to himself and glanced at Naomi who was still clinging onto his shirt. She noticed him looking at her and she quickly took her hand off, thinking Ichigo wanted some space. "You kinda look like Rukia's little sister, Naori." _It'll be two birds with one stone, _he added to himself and didn't show it.

Naomi looked on at him confused and she quickly directed her attention to the painting. In a woman's arms, who looked a lot like Rukia, held a small baby with yellow eyes and blue-black hair. Naomi had the eyes part right and she peered at her dirty hair. It was pitch black and there was no sign of a blue tint on them so it meant that Naomi couldn't be this "Naori" person.

Lucia peered at the painting that was behind her and wandered if she was this "Rukia" person. Though soon she was dragged off by Renji and Ichigo.

"We are going to reunite Rukia with her brother (-in-law)", Renji announced as he dragged Lucia off away from the family painting.

"You do resemble her like Naomi there is to Naori", Ichigo remarked and tipped Lucia's face to face his. Their faces were only a couple of centimeters apart, a fact that Lucia couldn't help but blush a little.

"The same purple eyes", Renji said and Lucia glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. Currently she was very confused.

"The Kuchiki eyes", Ichigo exclaimed and Lucia's head spun even more. "She's the same age, the same physical type!!"

Lucia chuckled to herself at the bumbling two. "Are you saying I'm this princess Rukia?" She skeptically asked them.

"All I'm saying is that I've seen thousands of ladies all over the country and not one of them looks as much like the princess like you do", Ichigo retorted back at Lucia.

Lucia was about ready to die from laughter. "Alright I knew you were crazy", she said pointing at Ichigo. "But now I think you are both mad."

"What!" Ichigo exclaimed and ran after Lucia who was diligently walking away. "You don't remember what happened to you and no one knows what happened to her. You're looking for a link in Seireitei and her only family is in Seireitei. You ever think of the possibilities."

Naomi's ears perked up once she heard the word "family". She wandered away from the family painting and to the one Lucia was looking at. _So my family really is in Seireitei…_ Naomi thought as she looked up at the painting of the three sisters and then directed her attention to Renji and Ichigo. _Guess these two are going to be my primary source of transportation, _she amusingly thought to herself.

"What that I might be a royal princess of the Kuchiki family", Lucia sarcastically said and looked up at a painting of Rukia, Hisana, and Naori.

"Mhmmmm" Renji and Ichigo simultaneously agreed and nodded their heads.

"Well…I don't know. It's hard to imagine royalty when you're sleeping on the cold floor every night", Lucia remarked. "But sure…every little girl wants to be a princess."

"Really wish we could help, but the other ticket is for Rukia", Ichigo said and pulled Renji away. "See ya" He waved as he walked away while tugging Renji. Once they were a good amount of distance away from Lucia, Renji angrily turned towards Ichigo.

"Why didn't you tell Lucia about the plan!" He asked Ichigo.

Ichigo hushed him down. "All she wants is to see if she knew someone special to her", Ichigo quietly explained to Renji. "Why give away a third of the reward money?"

"You two!!" Naomi yelled out and she ran to Ichigo and Renji. "I'm coming with you to Seireitei."

"Oh really", Ichigo skeptically said and knelt down to Naomi's height. "And why would you need to go to Seireitei?"

_Well two can play at this game, _Naomi confidently thought. "Think of it this way. I can be the extra decoration that will convince Lucia is Rukia. Try and find another girl with yellow eyes like me. Yeah not alot, am I right?"

Ichigo pondered that fact for a moment. She was a very convincing girl and she did have a point and Ichigo cleverly made her take the bait. So Ichigo gave a nod and walked away from Naomi with Renji following after him.

"What are you doing?" Renji frantically asked Ichigo who was coolly walking away as if nothing happened. "You're walking away too soon!!"

"Don't worry I got it all under control", Ichigo reassured Renji and continued strutting away. "Wait! Walk slower."

Lucia glanced up at the painting before her. Maybe Ichigo had a point…maybe she really was the princess Rukia if she looked at the possibilities. Lucia reached out and lightly touched Rukia's face line and traced her own. The resemblance was remarkably similar that it was getting scary.

"Three…Two…One..." Ichigo silently counted down.

"Wait Ichigo!!" Lucia called out and Ichigo pumped his fist for sweet victory. "Ichigo!!"

Renji chuckled at this happening. "She's right in the palm of our hands!!" He excitedly whispered to Ichigo yet Ichigo was already getting busy to fake it to Lucia.

"You called for me?" He asked Lucia.

Lucia began descending the flight of stairs while rambling again, "Well if I don't remember who I am so I can't really say I'm not a princess or whatever. And if I'm not Rukia than her brother will obviously know right away and it's all an honest mistake!!"

"But if you are Rukia, than you'll know who you are and you'll have your family back!" Renji exclaimed at Lucia.

"Either way, it gets you to Seireitei!!" Ichigo piped in and Lucia gleamed some more.

"Right!!" She held out her hand to shake and when Ichigo took a grasp of her hand, she might have gave a little too much force on it. Ichigo winced of the pain and pulled his hand back, while Lucia smiled sheepishly to damage done.

_So we have con-idiots, Renji and Ichigo, a perv toy, a super heavy girl and a macho chick, _Hitsugaya amusingly thought to himself as he stood in the background. It was the right decision to excuse himself from the scene before he was caught up in it. Besides he already knew Renji and Ichigo were faking it the whole time, but he wouldn't dare break the smiles Naomi and Lucia had on right now. _And a boy with white hair…not a bad bunch._

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Well…I'm ending it there for now. This is a really really fun story and I'm gonna get a kick outta this when I write about Lucia/Rukia fighting with Ichigo. Until then…review!!! And I'll update soon!


	8. Aizen Restored

Disclaimer: _I don't even know why I'm doing this since it's only one joke. Anyways I do not own the "luggage joke" from the movie Spaceballs. It belongs to them and I just borrowed it. But seriously, watch this movie because it is super hilarious! __Also, Aizen might be a little OOC because well...he's the bad guy. Just bear with me._

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Aizen Restored

"May I present, the royal highness of the Kuchiki family. Rukia", Ichigo announced through the empty ballroom.

Lucia couldn't help but giggle when Ichigo was talking like that. It was hilarious and it looked quite OOC for Ichigo. "I'm going to Seireitei!!" She exclaimed in a fit of glee and Naomi joined her. Hitsugaya looked at the two gleaming bunnies and shook his head to their stupidity, though he wanted to see what the outcome of this was.

"Yay!! We're going to Seireitei!!" Kon screamed as well in joy.

Ichigo stopped their happy celebration and glared at Kon. "No, you're staying." He growled at Kon and everyone stopped celebrating.

"No, I'm going!!" Kon and Ichigo's eyes were having lightning bolts shoot across each other.

"Stays"

"Goes!!!!"

"Stays"

"GOES!!"

"Just let him go", Lucia said and shook her head in disbelief. "He's going to follow us one way or another."

"Yeah!! Onee-san wants me to come so I'm coming! And there's nothing you can do about it!" Kon pompously told off Ichigo and leapt into Lucia's arms though Lucia didn't enjoy the gesture much. Seconds later, Kon's already battered body was being crushed into the floor with Lucia's feet.

"Though I'm starting to reconsider…" Lucia coldly said between stomps and Kon's whimpering.

While Kon was being stomped to death by Lucia, Ichigo curiously turned to Hitsugaya. "And why are you still here?" Ichigo demanded from Hitsugaya.

"I'm not here by choice", Hitsugaya answered with a tint of annoyance in his tone. "Little Miss Naomi here wants me to escort her. Besides I don't need your phony papers since I got my own."

Ichigo shrugged and turned back to Lucia. "Whatever, just don't get in our way."

Naomi and Renji were giggling at the fiasco Lucia was creating and Hitsugaya was still thinking everyone around him were complete idiots. Hitsugaya quickly saved Kon from Lucia's wrath, since he had to say sorry some way for ripping Kon to pieces, and Ichigo quietly ushered everyone away out of the ballroom. When everyone walked away, they didn't notice a tall shadowy figure standing high up at the ceiling, watching everything that was happening. His grin slowly grew wider and he continued toying around with a glowing green reliquary in his hand.

"Rukia-eh?" Gin spoke to himself menacingly. "This is quite interesting since Rukia's dead…All of the Kuchiki's are dead."

Though unbeknownst to him, some green misty creatures were coming out of the green reliquary. They stirred around and glared at the girl Lucia as they oozed out of the reliquary.

"Ain't I right?" Gin curiously asked and looked at the green creatures. He looked back at the reliquary and took a double take of the creatures. The reliquary had been dormant for ten years and now it was being awakened just because some girl thinks she's Rukia. It could be possible.

"Wait. So Rukia is alive", Gin curiously asked the glowing reliquary and the misty creatures hissed as an answer. "Very interesting…" Gin mumbled to himself but he stopped thinking when he noticed the reliquary had jumped out of his hands. "Eh! Where you going?" Gin exclaimed and followed the misty green trail the reliquary was leaving behind.

The reliquary jumped into the floor of the ballroom and disappeared with no trace. Gin followed it and soon he found out he was going through to a different dimension. He made a couple of twist and turns here and there before coming to a solitary dimension with nothing but rocks all around. Gin shook his head in disbelief as he surveyed the world he came to. Why would that reliquary lead him here since it's all barren? Gin looked around some more and saw that the reliquary was on a short pedestal. He walked over and picked up the reliquary and twirled it in his hand, trying to figure out the reliquary's reasons. Though a voice and a hand interrupted his thoughts…

"Whom may I ask is interrupting my solitude?" Aizen coolly said and he tightened his grip on Gin's shirt, not noticing whose neck he was choking.

"Remember me?" Gin lightly said and turned his head to face Aizen's.

"Gin Ichimaru", Aizen replied in surprise since it's been a long time since he saw a friend. Aizen quickly let go of Gin's shirt and Gin smoothed out all the wrinkles Aizen made.

"What brings you here?" Aizen asked Gin in a calm matter. "I can feel dark forces coming out of you."

"I'm not surprised", Gin said and he let his mind wander around the room. "Hey Aizen, you got anything to eat 'round here?"

Aizen face went into _duh_ mode and Gin continued to grin like usual. "Please answer the question Gin…"

"Alright, alright!!" Gin replied back, feeling that Aizen was becoming irritated. "I saw the girl, Rukia."

"Rukia!!" Aizen eyes widened when he heard that name. The same name of the Kuchiki girl he's been trying to kill all this time. "Is that true…she's alive!?"

"Yep!! Alive and on her own two feet", Gin mockingly said as he continued to lounge on one of the rock chairs that happen to be there. The weird thing is is that the rock chairs were actually very comfortable.

"That Kuchiki brat!!" Aizen growled through his clench teeth and closed his eyes in disdain. "That's why I've been stuck in limbo all these years. My curse is unfulfilled"

"Ain't that just a kick in the head", Gin replied. _Should I tell him he needs to kill two Kuchiki's to have his curse fulfilled. _He pondered through his head while ignoring Aizen the whole way.

"If only I wasn't in such a wreck, I could get back at that Kuchiki for what she's done to me!!" Aizen sneered in his continuing rant.

_Nah,_ Gin decided wanting to see if Aizen could find out that Rukia's sister, Naori is alive too. (A/N: _Many few people barely know if my OC is alive in this story_) He stood up from his chair and walked over to Aizen. "Come on Aizen-sama. For a minute there you had your old spark back", Gin said to Aizen in his usual mocking voice.

"That was before I lost my way to the dark forces", Aizen said in disapproval. "That key to my dark powers!!"

"What you mean this reliquary?" Gin asked and held up the glowing green reliquary that had been in his hands for some time now. Gin had a very nasty habit of not telling people really vital information until the very last second.

Aizen gasped of surprise when Gin held up his most valuable treasure. "Where did you get that!?" He asked and made an anxious grab for the reliquary.

"Don't get so grabby", Gin whined and handed over the reliquary to Aizen. "Anyways I found it in your suitcase."

Aizen's happy reunion with his treasure stopped when he realized where Gin found it. "How'd you find it in my suitcase?" He asked in curiosity.

"Well your combination's not that hard to figure out. I mean 1-2-3-4-5 is just waay too easy." Gin said with his signature smile.

Aizen have a sinister smile and he held up his reliquary up to the light for all to see. Smoke came out of it and it showed an image of Lucia and Ichigo hopping onto a train. Renji, Naomi, and Hitsugaya quickly hopped on afterwards. "Now my dark purpose will be fulfilled and the Kuchiki's will die!! I will make sure Rukia will perish!!"

_Come my minions,  
Rise for your master,  
Let your evil shine!  
Find her now,  
Yes, fly ever faster_

Herds of monsters burst out of the reliquary in Aizen's hand. They came out in numbers of billions, flying out to seek and destroy Rukia. They flew out encircling a tall, thick and rocky column, which led from Aizen's limbo land to the world above.

_She'll be mine!_

"Gin…" Aizen asked directing Gin's attention from the monsters to him.

Gin broke his gaze at the billowing clouds of green menacing creatures and looked back at Aizen. "Yes?" He asked in a mocking curiosity.

"Change the combination on my suitcase."

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I love that luggage joke from Spaceballs. And that combined with Aizen is absolutely funny!! Anyways Ichigo and Aizen might be a little OOC in this chapter. I had to make Aizen super pissed and wanting to kill Lucia/Rukia somehow.

_Review and I'll update!!! Enough reviews and I'll double update!!!_


	9. Heated Arguements

_This chapter is not that hard to write since Ichigo and Rukia do this all the time. Yeah, so I'm not going to update for a little while because of exams and all that crap. Grr...I hate school_

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Heated Arguments

A black musty train chugged its way through the snow, leaving black ashes and smoke behind. It was in a good distance of leaving Karakura Town and to Seireitei. Lucia and Renji were already sitting in their seats with Lucia playing around with the white hilt in her pocket while slouching on her seat near the windows. Renji was already filling out the travel papers and Kon was sitting next to him, enjoying his view of Lucia. Naomi and Hitsugaya had already left the passenger car, but with different reasons. Naomi left because she needed to go to the little girl's room and Hitsugaya wanted to get some fresh air.

Ichigo lifted another heavy bag and a long wrapped package into the bag carriers that were above the seats. He gently placed the stuff above Lucia's seat and he moved back to take the seat next to Renji with the window. Suddenly a loud growl was heard once Ichigo was about to sit down.

"HEY!! Back off!!" Kon yelled out with annoyance in his tone.

Ichigo growled back at Kon since he was really pissed at the moment. "The toy gets the window seat", he muttered under his breath and took the seat right next to Lucia.

"Yeah! That's right!! Go, shoo!!" Kon boastfully said, which really ticked Ichigo off. Soon popping veins were sprouting out of Ichigo's head.

A couple minutes later, Naomi shuffled her way back to her passenger car from the little girl's room. Once she opened the sliding doors, she saw Hitsugaya sitting in the seat Kon was occupying. "Wasn't Kon just there before?" Naomi curiously asked Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya, who was staring out the window at the moment, merely glanced at Naomi before looking back at the view of the window. "He was…but now he isn't."

Naomi stared confused at the seat Hitsugaya was in. She swore she heard that Kon was **never** going to give away the seat that is right in front of his lovely little Lucia. Quote. She shrugged off the confusion that was going on in her head and took the seat right next to Renji, who was still working on those papers. But she was still wondering where Kon might be…

_**Elsewhere…**_

The baggage car sat at the very front of the train. Everything there was below freezing and the hot engine in front of that car couldn't warm it up. Taped to one of the walls was Kon.

"ICHIGO!!! YOU JERK!!" Kon screamed out through the hollow darkness.

_**Back to the Passenger Cars…**_

Ichigo slid open the doors of his car and he haughtily took the seat right next to Lucia since the window seat he wanted was again, occupied. For a moment there, everything in that car was silent. Lucia kept fiddling with the snowy white hilt that was in her pocket and Naomi was reading one of the travel guides that were in the train. Hitsugaya and Renji were doing their own thing while Ichigo was secretly observing Lucia from the corner of his eye. He suddenly caught on to her bad posture and her constant moving fingers that were in her pocket.

"Stop fiddling with whatever's in your pocket and sit up straight", Ichigo reminded Lucia and stared straight at her.

Lucia haughtily removed her hands from her pocket and crossed them on her chest whilst glaring at Ichigo the entire way through. She slouched down even more into her seat and gave a groan of annoyance.

"Remember. You're a princess", Ichigo told the still slouching Lucia.

"And how is it that you know what princesses do and don't do?" Lucia snidely retorted back at Ichigo.

"I make it my business to know", Ichigo said smiling at her. Unconsciously, he had placed his arm around her and was looking at Lucia deep in the eyes.

"Oh", Lucia dully replied and went back to her slouching position and her unnerving habit in her pocket.

Renji peered up from the top of his half filled papers and rolled his eyes at the two's obliviousness. He certainly knew what exactly was going on and so did Hitsugaya and Naomi.

"Look Lucia…I'm just trying to help", Ichigo said in a compromising way to Lucia.

"Ichigo", Lucia asked and she sat up straight from her slouching. "Do you think I'm royalty?"

"You know I do", Ichigo said and smiled to Lucia again.

"Then STOP BOSSING ME AROUND!!" Lucia screamed in a fit of anger right at Ichigo's face. After yelling, she crossed her arms on her chest again and reverted her attention back at the window. Ichigo looked like his mind has been blown to pieces and Renji and Naomi were dying inside from all the comic relief they were getting.

"She certainly has a mind of her own", Renji said as he held back the chuckles.

"Yeah, I hate that in a woman", Ichigo haughtily said and turned as far away from Lucia as humanly possible.

Yet he didn't notice that Lucia was sticking her tongue at him when he wasn't looking and once he turned back, she averted to her current posture. Renji stealthily pulled out a piece of paper he had hidden inside his coat. He opened the folded paper and added two more slashes under Lucia's name making her 28 into a 30 and Ichigo was still standing there with 3. He quickly hid the paper again since Ichigo would kill him if he found out that Renji was keeping track of the times Ichigo was getting owned by Lucia.

On the other hand, Hitsugaya popped open one eye from his resting face, and saw that Lucia and Ichigo were fighting…again. _Complete idiots,_ Hitsugaya thought to himself and went back to staring out the window.

_Oh boy…_ Naomi nervously thought to herself as she peeked from the top of the travel guide she was reading at the moment. Ichigo quickly caught Naomi strangely looking at them and Naomi turn back to her book in fear.

Renji had left for the dining car, accompanied with Hitsugaya and Naomi, after a few moments of awkward silence in their car. Ichigo had left the car after them to go to the little boy's room. All of them had left Lucia alone in her car. She was starting to get even more bored from her loneliness, so she took out a random book that was in the seat pockets and started reading it. All of it was boring since it only talked about how great Seireitei is and the amazing sights there were to see there.

Soon Ichigo returned from his trip and he finally took his window seat. "Look I think we got off on the wrong foot", he said trying to compromise with Lucia.

"Well I think we did too", Lucia replied and turned back to her book.

"Okay-" Ichigo was about to continue until Lucia butted back in and cut him off.

"But I appreciate the apology", she dully said.

"Apology!! Who said anything about an apology?" Ichigo exclaimed surprised. And here he wanted to compromise and this girl in front of him is acting like she's the Queen of Shiba.

"Look, don't talk anymore. It's only going to upset me, okay", a very irritated Lucia retorted and threw her book at Ichigo, which he easily caught with one hand.

"Fine I'll be quiet!!" Ichigo angrily spat out. "I'll be quiet if you will."

"Alright I'll be quiet", Lucia spat back at Ichigo and placed her legs near the seat Ichigo was sitting reverting back to her slouching position.

"Fine!" Ichigo angrily said.

"Fine!!" Lucia angrily repeated and Ichigo groaned as a reply.

"So you think you're going to miss it?" Luca suddenly asked since she wanted to try and make compromise with the ogre sitting across from her.

"Miss what? Your talking?" Ichigo said back, still irked from their last conversation.

"No!" Lucia retorted angrily at him. "Karakura Town."

Ichigo smirked at her and gave a definite reply. "Nope"

"But it was your home", Lucia said and straightened her posture since the slouching was starting to hurt her back.

"It was a place I once lived. End of story", Ichigo immediately replied.

"So you plan on making Seireitei your true home?" Lucia asked in curiosity.

"What is it with you and homes?" Ichigo exclaimed and placed his legs up onto the seats opposite of him, blocking the exit for Lucia.

"Well for one thing, it's something that a normal person wants and loves", Lucia exclaimed in anger and she stood up to leave since she couldn't stand talking to Ichigo anymore. "And for another thing-" Lucia started and she tried to kick Ichigo's legs out of her way, but he just wouldn't budge. Ichigo couldn't help but smirk at her attempts. "Well-its-Uhh!! Just forget it!!" She screamed at Ichigo.

Ichigo rubbed and tweaked his ears that were in pain from the screaming fit Lucia was giving him. "Shut it you midget", he annoyingly told Lucia whose anger was building up more and more. "Your talking was bad enough, but your yelling is hell."

"Oh!!" Lucia loudly groaned. "Why don't you shut up, you cheeky idiot!!"

"What was that midget!?" Ichigo dangerously said and he angrily stood up, almost towering over Lucia.

Lucia stood up as well and haughtily gave Ichigo a stare up. Lucia just couldn't take the midget comments well and her anger exploded at that moment. "OH!! I HATE YOU!!! BAKA!!" Lucia yelled at Ichigo and kicked him in a place where male individuals should definitely not be kicked. Ichigo doubled over in pain just as Renji, Hitsugaya, and Naomi walked into their car.

"Thank goodness you're here", Lucia anxiously went up to Renji. "Just please. Remove him from my sight", she angrily spat out and she pointed a finger at the still in pain Ichigo.

"What did you do to her?" Renji asked in irritancy since he needed to go to the little boy's room bad after eating a four-course meal.

"Me!! Look what she did to me! It's her!!" Ichigo said recovering already from the pain Lucia had given him.

"HA!!" Lucia exclaimed and ran out of their car. She promptly slammed the door shut with so much force that their bags were rattling in their carriers. Lucia turned on her heel and ran in one direction in the hallways leading to the little girl's room. Her hair was getting pretty messed up from the outbursts she was giving. (A/N: _Hah. Everyone's going to the bathroom except for Hitsugaya_)

"He digs her", Renji whispered to Hitsugaya.

"No doubt", Hitsugaya agreed, but their little conversation was unfortunately heard within the earshot of Ichigo.

"Me!? With that stupid little brat!! No!!" Ichigo finalized angrily and stormed out of their car and slammed their door harder than Lucia did. The bags didn't just rattle since one fell out and landed on Renji's head. He left and stomped away in the opposite direction Lucia went. "Me and her? Ridiculous!!"

"You gotta admit", Naomi said to Hitsugaya and Renji. "They're cute when they fight."

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Don't you agree?? Ichi/Ruki rulez!!!! Anyways other than my little Ichi/Ruki burst there, review this chapter and I'll update!!! Maybe a double update if I get enough reviews!!


	10. Train Trouble

_How long has it been since I last uploaded?? Whatever, this is the chapter when everyone has the accident on the train. Also, yes I made Naomi fall asleep on Hitsugaya's shoulders because a moment like that is so cute!! its hard to pass up!!_

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Train Trouble

Aizen's huge group of glowing green creatures raced their way to the moving train. They quickly flew up to it and encircled one of the small funnels of the train. Those funnels provided an opening and they quietly slipped through without anyone noticing. Soon the train engines started glowing bright red and huge sparks were coming out of the airshafts. Those monsters were nothing but misfortune.

Renji shuffled all of his necessary papers together and walked down the narrow aisles of the train, ready to have one of the workers check them. He quietly slipped by many rooms until he spotted a couple holding their papers together.

"You see, the traveling papers were blue", the female whispered to her husband. "Now they are red."

Renji quickly glanced at his papers and surely enough, everything on it was written in blue ink. He gasped and quickly ran for it back to his car just as the worker came to check the traveling papers. He dashed to his car and slammed open the sliding doors. Though he was putting a lot of force into this, it didn't wake anyone up. Lucia laid herself on one of the seats and she was fast asleep with her coat covering her. Hitsugaya was staring out of the window like usual and Naomi had accidentally fallen asleep onto his shoulders. She initially fell asleep sitting up, but the train made a sharp turn causing her to fall onto Hitsugaya. Ichigo was already awake with his papers all ready.

"Ichigo! We gotta move!" Renji frantically said and lunged for his bags. "Everything's in red!!"

"RED!!!" Ichigo exclaimed in a mixture of fear and surprise. How were they suppose to know that the traveling papers had changed.

"What? You didn't know", Hitsugaya said in a matter of fact fashion. He tauntingly held up his passport and everything on it was bright red. Ichigo and Renji just stared at his passport, feeling their pride slipping away.

"I propose we move to the baggage car", Renji suggested and shoveled more bags out of the overhead carriers.

"I propose we get off this train", Ichigo annoyingly said and threw the last bag at Renji.

Renji tucked away as many bags as he could and he quickly ran off to the baggage car. Hitsugaya gently shook Naomi to wake up after he pushed her off his shoulders. She woke up dazed and confused until Hitsugaya told her they were moving to a different car. She was a little wobbly at first so Hitsugaya was forced to help lead her away. Ichigo quickly went over to Lucia to wake her up from her peaceful nap.

"Hey! Hey! Wake up", Ichigo whispered and gently shook Lucia a little to try to wake her up.

Suddenly her hand shot up and it sucker punched Ichigo right in the nose. Once her hand made contact, Lucia woke up in surprise and quickly glanced around her to see whom she hurt. "Oh, I'm so sorry!! I thought-" She stopped her apology in mid sentence once she saw Ichigo painfully holding onto his nose and groaning the whole way through. "Oh it's you. Then that's ok then."

"We're leaving", Ichigo said and grabbed Lucia to make her stand up from her current resting position.

"Where are we going?" Lucia asked, but Ichigo promptly ignored her.

"I think you broke my nose!!" Ichigo whined out in pain as he clutched onto his precious nose even more. He grabbed his bags and ran after Hitsugaya and Naomi.

"Men are such babies", Lucia muttered under her breath and she grabbed her bags and put her jacket on since it was already getting pretty cold.

Renji slammed open the door of the baggage car and Naomi and Hitsugaya walked through. Ichigo and Lucia finally made it too and Lucia quietly closed the door behind her. Renji and Naomi clutched onto their jackets even more from the freezing cold. Hitsugaya just stood there unnoticed of the dropping temperature.

"The baggage car…" Lucia doubtfully said and Ichigo and Renji shrugged their shoulders of guilt. "There wouldn't be anything wrong with our papers now would there?"

"Of course not", Ichigo said and put on his fake smile. "It's just that we don't want to force you to mingle with all those commoners."

_Yep, something's wrong with our papers, _Lucia quickly realized, but she kept her mouth shut and tightened her jacket from the cold.

"I-I-It's c-c-cold here", Naomi managed to stammer out. Renji nodded his head of agreement as he shuddered even more.

"Shake a leg", Ichigo, irritated, told Renji and he sorted through all of their bags to see if they had left anything.

Naomi's eyes wandered through the baggage car until she laid eyes on a shadow taped onto the wall. She slowly and carefully walked over there to see Kon half dead on the wall. "Kon?" Naomi said in curiosity and she released Kon's taped chains of the wall.

Suddenly a glint could be seen in Kon's eyes. "ONEE-CHAAN!!!!!" Kon screamed out and leapt for Naomi's unprotected spots.

Naomi screamed out in fear, covered her chest, and she quickly hid behind any box for protection. Lucia, Ichigo, and Renji's attention quickly turned towards the frightened girl. She shut her eyes tight and expected Kon to hit the wooden box with a hard thump, but instead she heard a piece of metal hitting the wooden box. She peered out from behind the box to see Hitsugaya's sword drawn out and threatening Kon's soft plushie body.

"You want me to get the other arm", Hitsugaya dangerously said and drew his sword even closer to Kon. Nervously, Kon shook his head no and Hitsugaya slid his sword back into its guard.

Though unknown to everyone else, a green door in the baggage car was glowing bright green, signaling something really bad. The green monsters wrapped themselves around the connecting chains of the two cars and squeezed it as tight as possible. Suddenly the car shook with violent force and the entire backside had blown off disconnecting the front with the rest of the train. Naomi gasped in surprise as she was thrown to the floor. On the other hand, Lucia and Ichigo landed in a very interesting way on each other.

"What was that!?" Ichigo exclaimed. Both Renji and Hitsugaya picked Naomi up off the floor.

"I don't know, but there goes the dining car", Renji said in tears as he watched his favorite part of the train disappear into the woods.

"Get off of me!!" Lucia exclaimed as Ichigo crushed her even more. Ichigo had fallen face front right onto her stomach and a suitcase was blocking him from advancing.

"I'm trying!!" Ichigo yelled back at her and he flung the suitcase away from himself. He quickly stood up and Lucia gratefully got out of Ichigo's weight crushing her to death.

"Ichigo!!" Hitsugaya yelled to him and peered out of a small window. "Somebody exploded our engines."

"What!?" Ichigo exclaimed and ran over to the window Hitsugaya was peering out of. He knocked away the box that was in front of the door and peered through as well. Sure enough, the engine was on fire and huge billowing clouds of smoke were coming out of the flames at the front of the train. Ichigo slammed open the door and threw his coat into Hitsugaya's arms.

"Something's not right, I'll go and check it out", Ichigo said and he jumped up to the top of the cars. He dashed in lightning speed through the top of the cars and landed in engine room. Everything was up in flames there and the speed and pressure were increasing faster than ever. "Anyone here?" Ichigo screamed out and just then, an explosion happened right in front of him.

"We're going way too fast", Naomi exclaimed and she gripped onto Lucia more from the unsteadiness of the train. Lucia tried her best to maintain hers and Naomi's balance though it was getting more and more difficult.

Suddenly Ichigo jumped from the top of the car before them and he landed right in front of Lucia, scaring her to pieces. "Nobody's driving this train", Ichigo exclaimed and he quickly ran inside the baggage car. "We're going to have to jump!!" He directed her and he pushed open a sliding door on the side of that car.

"Did you say jump!!!?" Lucia screamed out in fear and followed Ichigo. "After you!" Lucia said and she offered a 1,000-foot drop under the train tracks.

"Let's hope Naomi doesn't create an avalanche", Hitsugaya mumbled under his breath, which Naomi easily heard. In retaliation, she conked him in the head with her suitcase in a fit of anger. Luckily, Hitsugaya managed to dodge it in time.

"Fine, then we'll cut our car", Ichigo said and unbeknownst to him, the green creatures were listening to every word he said. They quickly flew over to the connecting parts of the two cars and froze it to the core.

Ichigo ran over to the intersection and he quickly noticed the frozen parts. "Come on! I need a wrench, an ax, anything!!!"

Renji dug through a kit of tools and took out a small hammer. "Here!" He yelled back and handed the hammer to Ichigo.

Ichigo took the hammer and he struck the frozen metal with a couple of strikes. Each one made a deafening clang, but each failed to break through. Sparks were flying everywhere as Ichigo continued hitting the frozen intersection. After ten or so whacks, the hammer finally gave out and it broke. Hitsugaya quickly handed Ichigo his sword, but that too proved unsuccessful. (A/N: _But the sword didn't break_)

"Onee-san!!" Kon yelled out for Lucia's attention and he pointed to the cart of explosives that he was standing on. Lucia grinned a little and she quietly closed the box she was looking inside.

Ichigo rapidly ran through his last screwdriver. "There gotta be something better than this!!!" He exclaimed in frustration just as Lucia arrived to him with a lit explosive dynamite in her hand. "That'll work", Ichigo said surprised with what Lucia was able to get. He grabbed the dynamite and stuck it into the icy metal parts. He grabbed for Lucia and dragged her behind a tall wall of baggage. Renji had grabbed for Kon and Hitsugaya and Naomi hid behind a different stack of luggage. Ichigo unconsciously held Lucia tight and close to him, an action Renji and Hitsugaya quickly took note of.

"What did they teach you in those orphanages?" Ichigo mumbled out in confusion and he ducked his and Lucia's heads just as the explosion went off. The front of the car was blown apart and it easily disconnected with the burning engine ahead. Everyone peeked out over their walls of safety and sighed in relief that they were safe from the engine. Renji quickly ran over to the brakes and twisted them to try to stop while Ichigo went and put out a nearby fire.

"Uhh Ichigo…" Renji mumbled out and he showed Ichigo the broken off wheel of the brakes. Ichigo groaned in frustration and messaged his temples to get everything straight in his head.

"Don't worry. We go plenty of track so we'll just coast to a stop", Ichigo faintly suggested and just as he said that, the bridge of a valley they were suppose to cross blew apart its middle section leaving less than a couple of hundred feet of track left before a 500 meter drop.

Everyone gasped once they saw that the bridge was blown apart. "You were saying?" Lucia asked Ichigo in doubt.

"I got an idea, Renji. Give me a hand!!" Ichigo exclaimed and he grabbed for some chains with a hook at the end. He clutched onto the bottom bars at the back of their car and steadied himself out of their car. Just as he was doing that, the car tipped over causing Renji to fall over and land on Hitsugaya. "Hand me the chain", Ichigo said and he reached out for the chain, which Lucia took and slowly let it descend onto Ichigo's hand. "Not you!!" Ichigo snapped at her.

"Renji's busy at the moment", Lucia said and Ichigo reluctantly and quickly gave in.

He grabbed the chain from Lucia and hooked part of it to the bottom of their car. As he was working, sparks from the car's wheels were flying everywhere and the car itself was starting to break apart. A piece of metal rattled through the bottom of the car and it narrowly missed Ichigo by an inch. But that piece of metal startled Ichigo enough to lose his grip on the bars. Just as he was about to fall, another hand reached out and grabbed his hand with a firm grip. Ichigo's face soon met within a couple of centimeters of Lucia's face and a loud clang brought their attention to a tree. The piece of metal that was about to hit Ichigo, hit a tree instead and it caused that tree to fall down from its trunk.

"I'll think that could have been you", Lucia exasperatedly said and she pulled Ichigo back into their car.

Ichigo caught his breath a little and smoothed out his clothes from dust and ash. "If we live through this, remind me to thank you", he said addressing to Lucia.

Lucia shrugged and together they threw the rest of the chain out. It's hook quickly caught onto the train tracks but the train had way too much momentum to have a simple hook and chain stop it. Soon the tracks itself were forcefully ripped from the ground and it caused the car to tip over to the side. Renji was thrown off of Hitsugaya and Lucia landed on Ichigo when she was thrown back. Naomi quickly caught Hitsugaya from falling back any further as she kept a tight grip on a handle that happened to be installed into the wall.

Knowing that all they could do was jump, everyone sprung into action. Renji collected as many bags as he could and Kon while Ichigo and Lucia got their bags. Naomi and Hitsugaya quickly prepared themselves. "Well this is our stop", Lucia yelled out and she jumped out followed by Ichigo and Renji. Hitsugaya and Naomi jumped out a couple of seconds afterwards. Luckily the snow around them cushioned their fall as the train sped through the tracks and into its death at the bottom of the valley.

"I hate trains. Remind me never get on a train again", Ichigo said irked that their form of transportation was gone. Renji and Lucia agreed while Hitsugaya and Naomi were trying to figure out which way to go to get to Seireitei. Unknown to all of them, someone was watching this entire event the whole time from beginning to end.

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I hate trains too. I'm going to have to take a train soon everyday once I get into high school. That is going to be so sad for me…

_Review!!!!_


	11. Prove I'm Rukia?

_Wow I stayed up all night typing this chapter up and it only lasts for like a couple of minutes. I made it to at least 5 pages, which is good! Anyways, on with the story!_

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Prove I'm Rukia?

"Oh would you look at that…She survived…" Aizen melancholically said and Gin could easily feel the pressure in the room rise up a bit. Even though Aizen didn't show it, he was very mad at the moment.

"Take it easy there sir", Gin said chuckling to himself and Aizen's spiritual pressure skyrocketed. "You should watch your blood pressure. Stress. It's a killer!"

"But I let her escape", Aizen replied back and he pointed towards an empty spot in the wall. Lightning shot out of his hands and destroyed the barren wall, shattering it to many little pieces. This was Aizen's way of letting his anger out.

"Well, I see you still have some power in you", Gin mockingly said and he grabbed the reliquary that sat at the table. "Guess you won't need this anymore!" And with that, Gin chucked the reliquary out away from the two.

Aizen dully looked on at the flying reliquary and with a snap, he shunpoed to where it would supposedly land. He easily caught it in one hand and irritated, whipped his head to Gin's direction. In mere seconds, he was already back at Gin's side. "Gin Ichimaru. You know perfectly well that I sold my soul for this. If this is gone, so am I. Got that!"

Gin was immediately freaked out since Aizen's spiritual pressure was slowly killing him. Once Aizen turned away, the spiritual pressure went down. "Oh sure. Blame the guy who smiles. He's not gonna get hurt since he smiles all the time", Gin mumbled to himself.

"What are you mumbling about?" Aizen asked and Gin attentively looked back up.

"Sorry sir. Just thinking of a way of getting rid of Rukia sir. That's all sir", Gin reported all military like.

"Don't worry about it Gin", Aizen reassured his subordinate. "I got a better idea."

**_Meanwhile…_**

Ichigo, Renji, Lucia, Hitsugaya, and Naomi had been walking around for some time now. Time passed by like the wind and it was already spring. The group decided to rest for now and they stopped by a riverbank with a wooden arch bridge crossing it. Everything alive was colored fresh green and flowers bloomed everywhere. It had gotten so warm that everyone took off their winter coats. After a while, everyone went off to do their own thing. Ichigo decided to have a swim so he went to a nearby shallow pool of water while Renji and Hitsugaya were fighting and training each other with their swords. (A/N: _What…you didn't know Renji had a sword_) Lucia went off to play around with a couple of woodland creatures that happen to be there while Naomi went off to get some water.

After some time, Naomi came back with a bucket full of fresh water and a cup fashioned from wood from which she was sipping water. Once Kon spotted Naomi coming back, his eyes suddenly lit up. "ONEE-CHAAN!!!!! You come to refresh me from this-"

Before Kon could even finish his sentence Naomi had already dumped out her bucket of water on him. Kon was soaked to his stuffing and he laid there all dead and mushed up.

"There. You refreshed now", Naomi annoyingly said and she threw the bucket onto Kon. That was for all the assaults he had given her.

Lucia sighed from what was happening between Naomi and Kon. _That stupid stuffed animal deserved it, _Lucia resolved without feeling any guilt for Kon. Lucia walked up over to Naomi and patted her on the shoulder to get her attention. "Hey"

Naomi turned around to see Lucia smiling at her. "What?"

"So…why do you want to go to Seireitei?" Lucia asked in curiosity.

Naomi shrugged and she silently chuckled to herself. "It's going to sound silly so don't laugh okay? I'm looking for my family."

Lucia's eyebrow perked up from the coincidence. "Really!? Well I want to figure out who I am and I'm looking for somebody in Seireitei too! What if…"

"That the person the two of us are looking for is the same person", Naomi skeptically finished Lucia's sentence. The possibility of that was very, very slim and because of that, Naomi quietly answered, "I don't know…"

"But why are you here with us then?" Lucia was bursting questions at Naomi who selflessly answered them without any irritation.

"I'm masquerading Rukia's little sister", Naomi answered back. "Oh, what was that name again…Naori?"

"I'm stuck being Rukia", Lucia halfheartedly said and Naomi chuckled a little. "What?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that you do look just like Rukia", Naomi said between chuckles. "So I guess we're sisters for the time being."

Lucia nodded in agreement and smiled a little. She finally made a friend who wasn't all yelling and shouting like a certain orange someone. After Naomi and Lucia were engaged in a really good conversation. They talked about how their lives were and the orphanages they stayed in. After some time, Ichigo ascended up the banks, all wet from his swim. Lucia stopped talking for a minute and looked up at Ichigo. He was different. He didn't look like the guy Lucia was blowing her brains out a couple of days ago. He actually looked cute with his toned muscles and tough body figure. (A/N: _Cue the fangirls_) Lucia couldn't help, but blush red from this sudden sight.

"What?" Ichigo asked and it quickly snapped Lucia back into reality.

_No. No. This is a bad idea!! Snap out of it!!!_ Lucia frantically thought and slapped herself like crazy to get the blush off her cheeks. Ichigo looked at her like she gone crazy while Naomi chuckled quietly to herself, knowing exactly what Lucia was thinking about.

Ichigo shrugged off Lucia's very weird behavior and he put a shirt on, dressing himself. He now wore a button up white shirt with a black vest. He had on a pair of black pants and black shoes. He out-dressed both Lucia and Naomi, given that the two were still in their orphan clothes.

Soon after, both Renji and Hitsugaya returned from their training session. They both seemed to have become good friends and the two of them were sweating like crazy. Renji was happily chuckling with Hitsugaya, who on the other hand, kept his straight, bored face.

"So, who taught you?" Renji asked Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya pondered the question in his head for a little while. "No one. I taught myself how to use Hyourinmaru, but I train with Hinamori sometimes."

"Who's Hinamori?" Renji asked in curiosity. The name did ring a bell, but it just didn't get to him.

"Momo Hinamori. She's the vice captain of the Fifth division in Gotei 13", Hitsugaya answered back and those words hit Renji like a ton of bricks. Renji suddenly remembered who Hinamori was, but he couldn't say it out right now.

"Wow. Pretty elite there!" Renji exclaimed and Hitsugaya cracked a small, unnoticeable smile, feeling proud of his best friend. "Well I was taught and trained by Yoruichi Shihoin. She's from the Four Noble Houses."

"Cool", Hitsugaya dully replied, but he really didn't mean it.

They were talking to each other so loud that Lucia caught on pretty quickly to the conversation. She curiously went up to Renji. "Who's this Yoruichi?"

"Yoruichi. She's the fastest fighter out of the entire Second division from Gotei 13. And I'm her pupil", Renji announced and Ichigo caught on as well. This was pretty alarming for Ichigo and Renji continued blubbering on about Yoruichi.

"Renji!!" Ichigo exclaimed and he shoved Renji away from Lucia that continued to peak her interest. Renji just didn't stop and sooner or later Lucia was going to find out. "Renji!! Ixnay on the Oruichiyay." Ichigo whispered to Renji and slapped him in the back.

Renji didn't take the hint and he continued talking about Yoruichi. He was really having fun boasting on how great his teacher was. "She has hair as black as fur and piercing yellow eyes. If you get her mad, she's going to tear you to pieces!!"

"Is this a person or a cat?" Lucia sarcastically asked to Ichigo and he nervously shrugged and pushed Renji back further.

"Yoruichi's training are so intense and mind breaking, but they do actually help. Too bad she's too busy, but I'll get to train again once we see her!" Renji said and Ichigo gave him the ultimate death stare. Renji finally caught on to Ichigo's murderous intent and he immediately shut his mouth.

"Wait…I thought we were going to see the Kuchiki Head himself. Why are we going to a Shihoin?" Lucia said in confusion. Her head was boggled since they were originally going to see Byakuya, now they have to visit this Yoruichi person. There was only one person who knew this and kept it a secret. "I-chi-go" Lucia growled under her breath and she menacingly glared at Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed, knowing that they wee caught. "Well…nobody gets near the Kuchiki Head without convincing Yoruichi first."

Lucia gasped from what she already figured out. "No! Not me!! No! No!!" Lucia screamed at Ichigo in a great fit of anger that humorously scared Renji to bits. "Nobody told me I had to prove I was Rukia!!!!"

"Look I-" Ichigo began, but Lucia cut him off angrily.

"Show up, yes. Look nice, fine. But lie!!!" Lucia angrily stated and shoved her fist into Ichigo's hard plated chest. It was so hard that her fist actually hurt.

"You don't know if it's a lie. What if it's true!!" Ichigo argued back. Lucia groaned and she turned around to walk away. Ichigo tugged onto her arm to make her stop walking. "Alright, so there's one more stop to figuring out who you are."

"But look at me Ichigo! I'm not exactly princess material here!" Lucia exclaimed and she pointed to her raggedy dress that was covered in stray thread. Naomi nodded and she too peered at her own rags.

Lucia groaned and huffed herself away from Ichigo as far as possible. Naomi gave some of her water to Hitsugaya, which he gratefully accepted while Ichigo nervously paced back and forth because of Lucia's outbursts. Renji joined Lucia, who was miserably staring out at the calm river before her while leaning over the edge of the bridge.

In a way to be nice to Lucia after her terrifying discovery of her task as Rukia, Renji picked up a nearby summer snowflake and gave it to Lucia. Lucia took the flower and gently fingered the flower in her hands. "Tell me. What do you see?" Renji asked to break the silence.

"I see a short little nobody", Lucia halfheartedly answered. "With no past…and no future…" She miserably threw the summer snowflake into the waters of the river. It made a barely noticeable splash and the summer snowflake gently drifted away in the small current of the river.

"Well I see a strong, young woman who is able to hold herself up to be called royalty", Renji praised Lucia who smiled a little. "I know because of what I have in royalty…Well, not exactly."

Lucia's eyes perked up again and Renji smiled inside, seeing that he had brought her spirits back up again. "Like what?" Lucia curiously asked Renji.

"Better be quiet about this", Renji said and Lucia nodded. "You see, I am actually a member of Gotei 13, the organization that rules Seireitei. I am officially the vice captain of the Sixth Division, but Ichigo doesn't know that."

Lucia smiled again, this time from the honesty Renji had given her. She could definitely get along with him. Everything between them was getting more and more peaceful and serene without any distractions and interruptions…until Ichigo butt in.

"So you ready to become princess Rukia!" Ichigo declared and Lucia's face went from happy to irritation again. Annoyed, Lucia whipped away from the fact Ichigo was still there and she left to get as far away from Ichigo as possibly can. "What!?" Ichigo exclaimed once he saw that Renji was glaring at him.

_Idiot…_ Both Naomi and Hitsugaya thought once they saw what was going on between the trio.

"There's nothing for you back there", Renji said which made Lucia stop in her tracks. "Everything…is in Seireitei."

Lucia thought about what Renji said. He was right. She didn't want to return to the orphanage from Inuzuri and everything she was looking for was in Seireitei. Maybe she'll go along with this plan after all, just to find out whom she was.

"Gentlemen", Lucia stated and turned around to face Renji and Ichigo. "Start your teaching."

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Is there or is there not going to be singing in the next chapter? Find out by reviewing and I'll update to let you see for yourself!

_Review!!!!!_


	12. Learn To Do It

_Everybody knows this song and it's extremely catchy. The characters in this fanfic didn't sing it, but they said some of the lyrics. Of course, I love to add the lyrics in to give it a good flow of the story. Also, I'm finally on vacation!!! I got a week before school starts!!_

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Learn To Do It

_You were born in a palace by the sea.  
A palace by the sea?  
You rode horseback when you were only three.  
And the horse...  
He was white!  
You made faces and terrorized the cook!  
Threw him in the brook!  
But you'd behave when your father gave that look!  
Imagine how it was!  
Your long-forgotten past!  
We've lots and lots to teach you and the time is going fast!_

Lucia sped after Ichigo and Renji as they ran towards a log crossing a shallow valley. Renji and Ichigo both jumped on while Lucia daintily stepped onto the thick brown log. Hitsugaya, Naomi, and Kon followed behind, all remaining their balance, except for Lucia.

_Now, shoulders back and stand up tall  
And do not walk, but try to float._

Lucia staggered a little and almost fell, but she luckily caught herself and continued walking. _This is stupid…_ Lucia thought to herself, but she was having way too much fun to notice. "I feel a little foolish, am I floating?"

"Like a little boat", Renji replied. "Now give a bow."

"What happens now?" Lucia asked in curiosity after ducking down low.

"Your hand receives a kiss", Renji said and Ichigo gave a small peck on Lucia's hand. Lucia couldn't help, but blush against her will while Naomi chuckled from the background. Hitsugaya just raised one of his eyebrows in interest.

_Most of all remember this:  
If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it.  
Something in you knows it—  
There's nothing to it!  
Follow in my footsteps, shoe by shoe!  
You can learn to do it too!_

Lucia slowly got herself off the log and everyone cheered her on. (Except for Ichigo and Hitsugaya) Lucia blushed from all the extra attention she was getting and she cheered as well with the bright red color in her cheeks.

"Get away from here, you stupid woodland rabies!!!" Kon exclaimed and shooed away all the cute, adorable woodland animals that happened to be there as well. Because of that, Lucia kicked him into the little valley below the log bridge.

Later on, the group had to hitch a ride to travel to the boat docks. They luckily got into a big wagon where it fit everyone and it had enough space for eight more extra people. The bad side: it had a couple of guard dogs in it. Renji and Ichigo were teaching Rukia how to eat like a royal noble while Naomi took a nap and Hitsugaya just stared out at the scenery around them.

"Now elbows in and sit up straight", Renji instructed Lucia to do. Lucia complied and did as told, but something was still off.

"And never chomp on the cucumbers", Ichigo piped in and snatched the plate away from Lucia.

Lucia made a face and she reached out to grab for her meal again. "Hey!! Give 'em back!!" She exclaimed in great irritation.

"Not until you get this right", Ichigo and Renji simultaneously said and they kept the bowl out of Lucia's reach.

Lucia jumped for the cucumbers again, but Ichigo held her back. Except he accidentally put more than a little force and Lucia ricocheted back to her seat, waking up Naomi in the process.

Naomi looked around dazed and her hair frizzed up some more. "Huh?"

_If I can learn to do it  
If he can learn to do it  
You can learn to do it!  
You can learn to do it  
_

Ichigo and Renji now taught Lucia how to ride horseback. Naomi and Hitsugaya already mastered riding it with such ease, so there was only Lucia left to deal with. Renji left Ichigo to teach Lucia as he rested along with Naomi and Hitsugaya.

_Pull yourself together  
And you'll pull through it!_

Lucia's horse jumped over a tall stone wall and Lucia blew a kiss to Ichigo behind her. Ichigo blushed and he smirked at her and he charged up his horse. He galloped at a speed faster than Lucia's and leaped over the stone wall as well.

_Tell yourself it's easy  
And it's true!  
You can learn to do it too!_

"AAHH!!!!!" Ichigo yelped out and he landed in a puddle full of mud. His horse stopped once it reached the wall and it catapulted Ichigo into a gigantic mud puddle.

Lucia giggled from Ichigo's attempt to impress her. Naomi, Hitsugaya, and Renji held up signs with numbers written on it from their spot on the sidelines. Of course, it was their way of ranking Ichigo on his performance. Naomi's and Hitsugaya's signs read 2 and 1 and Renji's sign read 5.

"Whoops!! My bad!" Renji sheepishly said and he flipped his sign to the other side, reading 2.

_If you can learn to do it…_

"Next, we're going to teach you how to fight with a sword", Renji declared and he held up a fairly sized stick that was as long as a sword.

"Why?" Lucia skeptically asked and she peered down at the sword sized branch that was in her hand.

"Because everyone in Seireitei fights with a sword", Hitsugaya said and he unsheathed Hyourinmaru that was on his back.

"Wait! Hold on!" Renji exclaimed and he stopped Hitsugaya from unsheathing any further. "You don't want to hurt the princess. Here!" Renji threw his stick to Hitsugaya, who easily caught it in one hand. He only had a couple of seconds to look at the position of the stick before Renji screamed, "Go!!"

_I can learn to do it!_

Lucia ran with huge speed towards Hitsugaya, who effortlessly dodged her attempted attack. Lucia had only one gasp out before Hitsugaya deflected the stick sword right out of her hands. Hitsugaya easily struck Lucia really hard with the stick and it sent her flying right into Ichigo's arms. The two of them were madly blushing once they noticed the uncomfortable, yet soothing position they were in.

"Next, Naomi!!" Renji declared.

Naomi picked up the stick that Lucia dropped and slowly faced Hitsugaya. He only peered at Naomi before charging at her the next second. Naomi still stood quiet and still, even when Hitsugaya raised his sword to attack. In a flash, Naomi blocked Hitsugaya's attack with her own stick and she deflected the stick right out of Hitsugaya's hands. Naomi smirked of confidence and she planted her hands on Hitsugaya's shoulders and leaped up over him. She performed a perfect leap and managed to perfectly balance herself in order stare right into Hitsugaya's eyes as a perfect distraction method.

_Don't know how you knew it  
I simply knew it!  
Suddenly I feel like, someone new…_

Once Naomi got two-thirds of the way of her flip, she released her grip on Hitsugaya's shoulders and she prepared herself to kick Hitsugaya in mid-air. She went in for the kick and suddenly, Hitsugaya disappeared from the spot where Naomi was going to kick him.

"Huh!?" Naomi gasped out and suddenly, she felt a foot landing in her back. "AAHH!!" Naomi screamed once Hitsugaya kicked her from the behind. He already outsmarted her, the conniving genius.

Naomi flew back with such speed and power and she was about to hit the tree. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain to happen…and it didn't. Naomi opened her eyes to see a dazed image of Hitsugaya leaning over her as if he was trying to see if she was ok. Obviously, he caught Naomi before she even hit the tree."Toshiro…" Naomi weakly said. "BAKA!!"

"I was just better than you", Hitsugaya responded to her outbursts and helped Naomi up from the ground.

"Why'd you had to kick me so hard!? I almost died!!" Naomi exclaimed in a childish way.

"Hey! I'll give you props for knocking the stick out of my hand", Hitsugaya pointed out to Naomi, who smiled a little from her accomplishment and it easily overcame her fury.

_Naomi, you're a dream come true!!_

The group boarded a bus leading to the docks for the ship. This time they had the right papers in order to board the ship. Lucua, Naomi, and Hitsugaya all threw their luggage into Renji and Ichigo's hands, to their discontent, as they boarded off the bus.

_If I can learn to do it,  
If I can learn to do it  
You can learn to do it!  
You can learn to do it.  
Pull yourself together  
And you'll pull through it!  
Tell yourself it's easy,  
And it's true—_

Naomi and Hitsugaya already boarded the ship, but they curiously peered back at the others who were taking their time.

_Should I tell them they only have 3 minutes left before the ship leaves?_ Both Naomi and Hitsugaya thought to themselves.

_You can learn to do it,  
Nothing to it!  
You can learn to do it too!_

Lucia gracefully walked up the wooden plank that led to the entrance of the ship. She walked with the exact amount of grace and precision and everything was flawless. Lucia sure had improved a lot. Yet the graceful princess walk was taking way too long, so Lucia ran up the wooden plank to join all of her friends on the boat.

"About time", Hitsugaya muttered under his breath.

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Review!!!!!


	13. Makeover

_Better enjoy this chapter since it's a butt load of IchiRuki crammed into a single moment._

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Makeover

Ichigo ruffled the content he had in his hands and placed them in a presentable way. After taking a few moments of air, he nervously rapped onto the door of their room that had Lucia in it. A few moments afterwards, Lucia opened the door to see Ichigo scowling away and not bothering to look at her.

"And what do you want?" Lucia curtly asked and crossed her arms. If this idiot here wanted to talk, she will talk and give him something a bit more.

Ichigo gave a grunt and he tossed a white sheet into Lucia's hands. She stepped back a little to catch it and she was very surprised at what she was given. "Renji bought it for you, but he made me give it", Ichigo said and continued to look away.

"Wow…" Lucia flatly exclaimed with no hint of appreciation and she studied the dress she had. "It looks like Renji has no taste, did you ever tell him that?" Lucia asked and looked up to Ichigo. It was true though since the entire color scheme with the dress was pastel white, green, and blue and plus the entire skirt section and the bodice was almost halfway filled with unnecessary ruffles. Also, the long sleeves were a bit too puffy.

"Shut it and just put it on!" Ichigo immediately ordered and he turned his back to Lucia. Ichigo hesitated to peer back to get a look at Lucia's reaction, but he decided against that and ran off into the deck outside. He was probably embarrassed.

_Oh. I see…_ Lucia smiled; taking the hint Ichigo was giving her. _Arigato, Ichigo._

In the same room, Naomi sat at a small dressing table that was in the corner of their room. It had a large mirror and the table was completely spotless, until Naomi had placed her stuff there. Naomi took a brush out and started to try and tame the forest within the scalp of her head. Once she gave her dark hair a first brush, the brush was completely stuck and it wouldn't move a budge. Naomi gritted her teeth in frustration and yanked the brush as hard as she could through her hair. Tears came to her eyes as she winced in pain from a hair headache. Naomi was about to swallow up her pain and try again when she noticed Lucia coming in with a gaudy and hideous dress.

"Who gave you that uhh… tent?" Naomi skeptically asked and she yanked the brush out of her hair yet again. Naomi grimaced some more in pain and this time, she finally had given up.

"Ichigo did", Lucia explained. "But I don't really think I want to wear this…"

"Then don't wear it", Naomi flatly replied back. "Simple as that."

"I know…but I don't want to…you know", Lucia stuttered back out with her face flushing more and more with embarrassment. She, herself, could feel red, hot air creeping up around her cheeks. She partly detested and enjoyed this weird feeling.

Fortunately, Naomi was no idiot. She could easily tell what was happening right now and the fact, Lucia wanted to wear a pretty dress like that. Naomi reached out and snatched the dress right out of Lucia's small dainty hands. Naomi examined how the dress was made and she started from the bottom hem and worked her way up. She was ripping off as many ruffle lining as she could find from the bottom. "I'm no master sewer here, but I can rip jeans fine", Naomi said in the midst of her working.

Lucia glanced at Naomi's serious eyes and she noticed Naomi was frequently getting sidetracked by her unwell-kept hair. Her frizzed up locks of black hair kept getting in Naomi's eyes and she paused working to just push them back. Suddenly, Lucia had an idea and she made a grab for the brush and comb that sat at Naomi's table. She placed the brush in Naomi's jungle hair and yanked it as hard as she could, greatly surprising Naomi.

"H-Hey!!!" Naomi exclaimed and she reached out for whatever's bothering her hair. "What was that for Lucia!?"

"You're fixing my dress, so I'm fixing your hair!" Lucia cheerfully told the irritated child. "Naori Kuchiki had dark blue hair, so I'm going to give you some blue hair."

"You mean, dye my hair!!" Naomi exclaimed. "But I'm in the middle of-"

"You can do it afterwards", Lucia interrupted her in mid-sentence, irritating Naomi even further. "I'm already dolled up for the Kuchiki Head, so now it's your turn."

"But, but-" Naomi argued back, but Lucia already dragged her into a shower room to finally get that jungle on her head to be tamed.

Outside on the ship decks, Hitsugaya and Renji were supposed to train again. But Renji had gotten seasick, so Ichigo was left to take his place and he borrowed Renji's sword since he did not have one himself. Seconds later, Ichigo found himself easily defeated by Hitsugaya, a shorty that's less than half of his height.

"I don't get how you can be so good", Ichigo loudly complained after his tenth defeat.

Hitsugaya smirked at Ichigo and sheathed his sword. "Because I'm better trained than you are." It was true since basically, Ichigo is a blunt, power driven fighter who always goes head on to his opponents. A person like this will always leave a lot of openings where someone quick and cunning, like Hitsugaya, can easily strike. Ichigo definitely has a lot more to learn if he wants to beat someone like Hitsugaya. In fact, there's a chance that he can't even defeat Naomi.

After a while of more and more intense fighting, Ichigo had finally gotten the hang of it and he was blocking off most of Hitsugaya's attacks. Yet his own attacks were weak and Hitsugaya easily dodged and countered most of them. Once Ichigo had struck an attack, Hitsugaya would dodge or counter it and strike at the opening Ichigo would leave up afterwards. Hitsugaya smirked some more and he raised his sword again to attack when Ichigo suddenly raised his hand.

"Let's stop okay? I'm bust." Ichigo called out and Hitsugaya complied and sheathed his sword.

"So Ichigo…" Renji curiously asked in his seasickness. "How's it feel to be beaten twenty-one times in a row?"

"Shut up Renji", Ichigo growled and he halfheartedly threw Renji's sword back at him. Renji was laughing at Ichigo the entire time.

After a while, the boys had nothing to do. The girls were taking way too long to just put on a dress and they just finished training. Renji suggested the chess set they had and after some arguing, they all agreed. Soon what were minutes became hours as the boys continued playing the game of chess. The sun was starting to set and the entire sky was painted in colors of fiery red and bright orange like Ichigo's hair.

"Checkmate", Hitsugaya nonchalantly said for the umpteenth time.

Both Renji and Ichigo made annoyed and surprised faces. They were paired up against Hitsugaya and they still lost a numerous amount of times. This kid was seriously too good for his own good. Ichigo wouldn't be surprised if Hitsugaya can get himself into Gotei 13 when he's this young.

"That makes 18 to 0", Renji sadly marked down and Ichigo glared at him for even mentioning the score. He seriously didn't want to lose what's left of their pride.

Hitsugaya stretched out himself since he was crouching over to play chess with the two buffoons. He stood up and started for the door leading to their room. "It's not interesting if I constantly beat you guys", Hitsugaya called out to both Ichigo and Renji. "I'm going back to the room-"

Hitsugaya stopped in his sentence and his tracks once he noticed someone coming up from the stairs. It was a young girl around Hitsugaya's age with neatly combed blue-black hair and bright yellow eyes. Her skin was shown to be not dirty and full of brown streaks, but clean and fair skinned. She now wore a clean white shirt with a tan skirt belted at her waist, which ended just above her knees that looked like the remnants of the shirt she used to wear. She also removed her very baggy pants and she still wore her brown boots. Basically, it was Naomi after being made over by Lucia.

"What's wrong, Toshiro?" Naomi asked once she noticed Hitsugaya was struck with shock, but he quickly overcame it.

"I'm sorry, I must of confused you for someone else", Hitsugaya teased Naomi's sudden makeover.

Naomi frowned and she was about to retort something witty back when Renji and Ichigo came by her. Renji was smiling and Ichigo was looking in on how Naomi suddenly became just like that.

"Wow! You look just like her! How'd you do it?" Ichigo asked in excitement. If Naomi turned out like this then Lucia would be…

"Well, a bath helped", Naomi simply replied. Once she washed herself, every scar and dirtiness were simply washed away, leaving Naomi spotless. She couldn't do this back in Kusajishi since there were no such things as baths there. Naomi didn't even notice that her hair was full of dirt all along and it discolored her hair to black. She, herself, was the most surprised at her hair.

"Well, I think you look…" Ichigo started, but he trailed off once he saw another figure approach the group. Ichigo could feel a slight blush creeping up to the edge of his cheek. Renji and Hitsugaya peered back as well and Renji gasped at the sudden sight.

Lucia proudly stood at the top of the flight of stairs with her hair blowing freely in the wind, instead of having it held back by a clip. Her hair shone with a raven's brilliance with her figure being perfectly shaped with Naomi's remade dress. The dress clearly showed Lucia's figure, which Lucia had kept hidden behind many layers of clothing, and it had a nice angelic tone to it. All of the ruffles were ripped out of and Naomi also teared off the billowing long sleeves. The dress ended just above Lucia's ankle and the entire bottom was decorated with pastel light blue and green half circles. Lucia also replaced her brown boots for a pair of black flats that Naomi happened to have and not bother to try on.

"Hey!!" Lucia called and waved to her group of traveling companions. Lucia took off from her current location to where everyone else was. "Renji, can I borrow your Zabimaru again? Come on, Hitsugaya. I'm ready this time."

"Hold on Lucia", Renji stopped the suddenly hyper woman from going any further. "We're not going to be training today."

"We're not?" Lucia asked, confused. Usually at the end of the day, Lucia would be training with Hitsugaya with Renji as a teacher. Sometimes Naomi would drop by and give Lucia some pointers here and there. But if there's no training, then what was there to do?

"We're going to teach you how to dance now", Renji said and Lucia listened on, interested at this dancing. "And your partner will be…" Renji said and he scanned the people who could take a shot with Lucia. Naomi would be excluded out of course and Hitsugaya would most likely refuse. The only person left was…

"Ichigo?" Naomi curiously asked and she waved her hand right in front of Ichigo's face, but he wouldn't come out of his trance. "Ichigo? Ichigo? Ichigo? Snap out of it Ichigo! Ichigo?"

"Huh, what!?" Ichigo said in a dazed and surprised voice and he looked around, very confused. It looks like he fell into a hypnotic trance when Lucia first appeared in the newer fashion.

"Thanks for volunteering, Ichigo!" Renji said and he gave Ichigo a good slap on the back, forcing Ichigo even closer to Lucia.

Ichigo awkwardly stepped closer then necessary to Lucia with both of their faces getting even redder than before. Ichigo hesitated in offering his shaking hands to Lucia and Lucia awkwardly looking aside, trying not to meet eyes. The two were like statues that were not sure on how to act when they were in the presence of one another. For a while, Ichigo and Lucia didn't move for a long time…till Kon woke up and arrived at the boat decks.

"Onee-san!! I would gladly be your partner!!!" Kon happily yelled out, but he soon met the fists of Hitsugaya. But Kon repented and he advanced further to the still not moving pair. "Onee-san!!!!"

Hitsugaya glanced at Naomi as almost if he was pleading her to do something about it. Naomi noticed Hitsugaya looking at her and once she saw the look on his face, she too freaked out. She frantically shook her head and she waved out her hands as if saying, "No not me!!!" Then, Hitsugaya gave a quick and simple glare to her, urging her to do it and Naomi immediately let it go.

"Fine then", Naomi growled back to Hitsugaya and turned back to Kon. "Kon-kun!!" Naomi called in a sickly sweet voice and opened her arms up for Kon. She calmed her face down and gave a warm smile.

Kon steadily turned around to see, through his mind, a cute little angel, offering her arms for him. She had a sweet lively face with her light skin glimmering ever so much. Kon just couldn't resist the temptation Naomi was giving him. "Onee-chan!!!" Kon exclaimed in glee and dived headfirst into Naomi's open arms.

Lucia breathed in a whole lot of air and turned back to face Ichigo again. She took the hand Ichigo was having trouble holding out and placed her other hand right on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo steadily and nervously placed his other arm right at Lucia's waist and together the two danced.

_It's 1-2-3 and suddenly I see it at a glance_  
_She's radiant and confident and born to take this chance_

Lucia gracefully swayed with each step she took. Ichigo simply looked like a stiff stick figure, but he easily loosened up once Lucia was dancing around him. The pair danced radiantly with the setting sun casting a shadow on both Lucia and Ichigo that turned them into dark silhouettes. Their steps left heated footprints on the metal deck as they danced around. Lucia's dress swaying around her ankles as she danced with Ichigo, her eyes locked onto his as well. Hitsugaya and Renji looked on at them with equal interest while Naomi kept Kon out of the sight of this.

_We taught her well we planned it all _  
_We just forgot romance_

It seemed impossible at first since the two would usually be arguing till no end, but once they were placed at the right place with the right conditions, everything else would fall in perfectly like the pieces of a puzzle. All three of them knew that…Lucia and Ichigo were slowly falling in love. But this love would be short lived.

_Why did we do this?  
__How will we get through this?  
__We never should have let them…dance._

Lucia twirled in Ichigo's strong arms, feeling her body flying around in the air. She loved the sensation of having the wind in her face and dancing with Ichigo. Her eyes and smile sparkled as the sun was nearly reaching its end at the ocean. It's fiery light fading away into the dark ocean waters. In the approaching darkness, Lucia didn't notice where her feet were going in the midst of her twirling. She tripped and softly landed on Ichigo's chest.

"You okay?" Ichigo softly asked and he enveloped Lucia with his arms, wanting to make sure she wasn't hurt.

Lucia smiled a faint smile. "Yeah…I must have gotten dizzy." She said in a daze with her voice almost fading away from her.

"Maybe we should stop…" Ichigo faintly suggested in warm tone, something Lucia greatly enjoyed.

"We did stop…" Lucia tried to point out in a duh fashion, but her usual bluntness was rapidly slipping away from her.

But Ichigo didn't listen as he unconsciously leaned in forward to Lucia. Lucia slowly closed her eyes and leaned in as well. The sun's faint shining light trickled to the boat decks as it sat under the ocean, casting a long dark shadow of those on the boat. All Renji, Hitsugaya, and Naomi could see were two silhouettes leaning forward with the sun's light behind them. Ichigo's grip on Lucia tightened once he felt Lucia's warm face near his and Lucia squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact.

"Don't do it, onee-AKK!!!!" Kon yelled out, interrupting the scene to everyone's dismay. Fortunately, Naomi choked him while he was still in her arms. "Stupid! Stupid!" Naomi grumbled. She could feel Kon passing out momentarily and she threw him to the floor.

Lucia looked on confused at Kon and Naomi with nervous chuckles escaping her lips. Then, she suddenly remembered what was happening or was about to happen and she nervously turned back to Ichigo. But he was already ignoring her.

"It's dark out…" Ichigo said looking out at the ocean's edge where the sun formerly was. "You should get some rest." With that, Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away.

Lucia sadly glanced after Ichigo, with her hand reaching out to him…as if she wanted him to stay a little longer.

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Damn you, Kon!! You just had to ruin the moment!! Oh, and yay cause IchiRuki is happening!!! Also…

_Review!!!!!!!_


	14. Surprising Discovery

_I think this is the part where everyone is getting ready for bed and Anya finds her music box. Now, I have a nasty habit of lengthening anything that is shorter than two minutes by making it more detailed and also, adding in my own thing. But that's good!! Cons? I have to spend a heck of a load of time to write it up._

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Surprising Discovery

Night had fell on the ships journey and it was already time for everyone to get to bed. Lucia sat next to the bunk beds, now sporting yellow pajamas, and she was gently brushing her short hair. Naomi had gone off to change into her pajamas and Renji and Hitsugaya were probably chatting about their skills in fighting, obviously boring Lucia to death. She just wished Naomi would hurry up and come back out so they could at least have a good talk with one another or beat up Kon together. On the other hand, Ichigo was already fast asleep on the floor, with only a couple of blankets and jackets serving as his mattress. Suddenly, the ship gave a sudden jilt and it tossed Renji, Hitsugaya, and Lucia off from their current places, yet Ichigo remained asleep.

"I don't get it", Renji silently and exasperatedly exclaimed. "Look at him! He could sleep through anything!!"

Instantly, a light bulb went off in Kon's head meaning he just had a brilliant idea. "Hey!!" Kon said and it got everyone's attention. "I got an idea! Let's see what Ichigo has wrapped up in his bags!"

Everyone's faces went from interested into a 'that's the dumbest idea I've ever heard' fashion. Kon easily ignored this and raced for Ichigo's bags with Ichigo not even snorting in his sleep. Kon kept digging here and there into Ichigo's bags until he came up, dissatisfied by what he saw.

"There's nothing in here!!" Kon whined out and he threw one of Ichigo's bags aside.

_Serves you right, _Hitsugaya thought and he glared like usual at Kon, but that glare went to a surprised look when Naomi entered the room.

Naomi wore very big pajamas, so huge that the sleeves went at least a couple of inches past her hands. It was of course unflattering, yet cute enough for it to be spotted in the Kon radar.

"Onee-chan!!!!" Kon exclaimed in glee and he made a jump for Naomi, who kept a simple straight face and slapped Kon away from her.

"Onee-san!!!" Kon exclaimed some more once he ricocheted off of Naomi and towards Lucia. Of course, Lucia had seen this coming and she smacked Kon away from her with her brush. Afterwards, she continued brushing her hair as if nothing happened.

"Oh no, not you." A dissatisfied Kon said when he now was heading towards Renji, who really got annoyed and shoved him away as well.

"Ahh!!! No! No! NO!!!" A now terrified Kon screamed when he went flying right at Hitsugaya. A very cocky Hitsugaya gave a satisfied smirk and he punched Kon right at Ichigo, who was miraculously still asleep through this racket.

Luckily, Kon had missed Ichigo completely and he landed into a tall, wrapped package that had lain right beside Ichigo's sleeping body. Kon groaned in sheer pain and he slid down the package, tipping it over in the process. It landed with a loud thud and it rolled away, hitting Ichigo in the head as it rolled…and Ichigo is still fast asleep.

"Stupid Kon", Lucia groaned out and she picked up both Kon and the package. "Look what you done with his stuff!!" She flung the still passed out Kon into a wall and she would have to stomp on him if it had not been Naomi holding her back.

"Since when have you've been so territorial about Ichigo's stuff?" Hitsugaya amusingly asked and Renji gave Lucia a look that made Lucia instantly blush bright red.

"I-uh-uh", Lucia stuttered out with her head exploding with heat. "Why what's in here!!?" She exclaimed, changing the subject. Everyone else just gave her a skeptical look as Lucia furiously started unwrapping the package in her hands. Lucia gave out a little gasp as she saw gleaming snow white appear. She unwrapped it further to show a brilliantly polished white sword that looked as if it could sparkle in the light. Lucia examined the object with high interest.

"Wow…" Renji breathlessly exclaimed. "I never knew Ichigo had something this beautiful…maybe he's a…"

"Don't be so stupid", Naomi quickly interrupted Renji. "I know Ichigo would never be like that."

"But if you take quick notice of the way he dresses", Renji pointed out. "I mean-tight jeans and all..."

"Those are just stereotypes", Naomi retorted. Apparently, she was easily being flustered by this awkward conversation. "They're not true!"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes at the two and turned his attention away from their petty argument. He then saw Lucia just looking at the sword in her hands as if being enchanted in its white gleam. She touched the white hilt and the white guard and she slid her fingers in and out through the metal. She looked like she was in a complete trance.

"Lucia? Lucia? You ok?" Hitsugaya asked and he waved his hand right in front of Lucia's face.

Lucia ignored the nuisance that was happening around her and she continued looking at the sword. She removed the snowy guard and looked on at the swords blade. It showed a mirror like reflection of Lucia's face and suddenly, the same images from the ballroom flashed in her head once again. This time she saw a younger, happier version of herself replacing her current reflection. She smiled at her, giggled, and waved back at her in joy. She then turned around to see a woman holding a baby. Lucia couldn't see the woman's face that well and the images seemed to be only focused on the baby, who was wrapped in fine cloth with its tiny eyes closed and its dark blue hair moving up and down as she slept. Suddenly, the baby stirred a little and opened its sleepy eyes, revealing a yellow gleam in her pupils.

"Lucia!?" Alarmed, Hitsugaya gave Lucia a gentle shake on the shoulders, breaking Lucia away from those images in her head. Lucia looked around her and saw Hitsugaya looking at her a little worried. "What was that just now? You were completely out of it." Hitsugaya asked.

"What is this thing?" Lucia asked in wonder as she examined the sword further.

Hitsugaya gave her a weird look and answered, "A sword, what else?"

"I don't know…" Lucia faintly said and she placed the blade back into its guard. "Just now…it was something special…something like a secret. Is that even possible?"

Hitsugaya shrugged and answered back in a soft tone, "Anything is possible."

Confused, Lucia decided to turn in for the night. She left for bottom bunk bed, slipped into the covers, and easily fell into a deep sleep. After Lucia had climbed into bed, Naomi and Renji had ended their argument with Naomi walking away in disgust. Renji just made a face at her and he climbed into the top bunk to go to sleep. Suddenly, Naomi looked back to see Hitsugaya still up.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Naomi asked in slight worry.

Hitsugaya looked on at her and he stood up from his seat near the bed frame. "Probably leaning against the wall tonight", he answered and stretched out his back. "And you?"

"I'm sleeping with Lucia", Naomi said and those very words were enough to wake Kon out of his unconsciousness.

"Onee-chan!! I wish I can join you with your sleep!!" Kon exclaimed in he made a happy jump right in front of Naomi, obviously creeping her out. Anyone like Kon would obviously want to sleep with two females at both sides.

Naomi was about to yell for an absolute no when Hitsugaya intervened. "Sure, you win." Kon looked like he had just won the lottery and Naomi gave a slight hiss to Hitsugaya. On the other hand, Hitsugaya secretly winked at Naomi and he proceeded to pick Kon up and head towards to Lucia, who had her knees up.

"I'm sorry I was so wrong about you", Kon happily said in a daze and Hitsugaya smugly nodded in agreement.

Hitsugaya placed Kon right on top of Lucia's propped up leg and at that moment, Renji's old mattress came down, squishing Kon like a sandwich. Kon gasped in surprise and he choked for some air, but none came in. He frantically struggled around in the ongoing distress and unfortunately; no one awake raised a finger to help him.

"Do you still want to sleep with them?" Hitsugaya asked and Kon quickly shook his head no. "Good to know you learned your lesson."

Hitsugaya finally freed Kon from his torturing prison and Kon sprawled himself onto the floor, gasping for air. Then, Kon moved for the bottom bunk yet again as if he hadn't had enough. Hitsugaya stepped on Kon to stop him and squished him into the floor while Naomi looked on in horror.

"Toshiro!" Naomi exclaimed and she gently pushed Hitsugaya away from torturing Kon any further. Such a motion from a girl who had been repeatedly assaulted by Kon had greatly surprised Hitsugaya. "I think that's enough…"

"Uh…and why are you taking his side?" Hitsugaya skeptically asked in confusion.

"That's because she actually cares about me!!" Kon exclaimed, which brought Naomi and Hitsugaya's attention from each other to him. "Isn't that right onee-chan!! You're so adorably sweet!!!!" This time, Kon leapt for Naomi again and Hitsugaya had to protect the girl yet again. Kon found himself being struck away with Hitsugaya's Hyourinmaru and flew into another nearby wall. He landed with a painful thud and he slumped down onto the floor, this time truly unconscious.

"I'm going to sleep", Hitsugaya announced and leaned against the wall as he sat down. He propped his knee up, crossed his arms, and laid his head on his arms. Moments later, his grumpy little face transitioned into a face filled with peace and tranquility. An obvious sign Hitsugaya had fallen asleep.

Naomi just looked on at the sleeping boy, thinking about all that he done for her. He was always protecting her (from Kon) so it was no wonder he had all those frown lines marked in his face and the account of his grumpy attitude.

_I should repay him back…_ Naomi resolved and she looked around until she spotted a nearby blanket. She unfolded the blanket and gently placed it on top of Hitsugaya like a mother tucking in its child. Hitsugaya didn't seem to stir as Naomi was doing this and Naomi quietly climbed into Lucia's bed once she was finished.

"Sweet dreams everybody…" Naomi whispered on and gradually she fell asleep as well.

**_Meanwhile…_**

Both Gin and Aizen peered at the sleeping face of Lucia in the mirror his magical reliquary had created. She had a peaceful face with a smile placed on her lips as she slept.

"Would you look at her…" Gin said in an almost faint voice. "Sound asleep in her little bed."

"Yes and please have pleasant dreams, little Kuchiki", Aizen said and he touched the wisp of smoke of which Lucia's face was painted on. "For you can't escape your own dreams."

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This was partially a chapter of Lucia discovering another image from the past and partially me having a kick out of beating up Kon. He's just so easy to make fun of!! So here's another cliffhanger and let's see what happens to Lucia and another one of her "images from the past". I also might make Naomi sleepwalk with Lucia as well. Actually I don't know since I'm still debating on that fact. We'll just have to see…oh and anyways…

_Review!!!!!!!!!! And I'll update!!_


	15. Nightmares

_This chapter was a little harder to type since there are three sequences going on all at once. To keep things in order, anything with a bar intercepting it is a transition into another part of the story like one of the dreams or something like that. For some reason, I always love to say those things on Byakuya's head are noodles. Also in the dream sequence, if you can't picture what I'm describing, think of the place Rukia was going to be executed on. Sokuyoku Hill._

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Nightmares

A few green monsters quietly slipped into the room everyone slept in. They circled around both Ichigo and Hitsugaya, without disturbing them, before heading to the bunk beds, where the two Kuchiki's slept. Their orders were simple: destroy Kuchiki in her sleep. They hovered above the two girls and they slowly transformed into pitch-black butterflies. Slowly, they began to change her dreams.

Lucia dreamt of a large meadow, filled with forests and shrubbery, while she was somehow sleeping on the ground. Suddenly, the black butterflies fluttered over to her, intriguing her to stand up. Lucia smiled and she dazedly followed after the butterflies…sleepwalking in the real world. She had pulled the sheets off herself, still sleeping, and sleepwalked her way out the door and into the corridor.

Because Aizen's orders were to kill the Kuchiki and Naomi was a Kuchiki herself, she was also entranced by his spell. Naomi dreamt of a huge palace and she saw a man looking down on her from the top of a huge staircase. He wore a frown that never seemed to wear off and his hair was weirdly designed for it had five or so noodles in it. He frowned down on Naomi and walked away. Naomi quickly got up and followed after him, as she too, sleepwalked following after Lucia.

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The stormy weather outside was violently rocking the ship side to side, making it harder to walk. Lucia and Naomi didn't seem to mind as they both walked up the stairs of the corridor. The huge waves slipped in through the open door and water was flooding everywhere. Even the steps themselves were a bit slippery and drops of water were dripping from each step. The puddles of water slowly flowed throughout the entire area of the corridors.

Still inside the rooms, Kon had finally come to from unconsciousness. _That cocky little brat!!_ Kon growled in his head and glared at the sleeping Hitsugaya. _I oughta give him a whack with my ultra super powerful legs and give him a piece of my mind!!!!_ Kon stood up and stomped angrily over to Hitsugaya, still sleeping against the wall.

"Hey you!!!" Kon declared and he pointed at Hitsugaya in fury, but the sight of an empty bed caught his attention…the bed that the girls were sleeping in. "Oh no…" Kon said in a dazed and quiet surprise. He had better do something quick. Kon quickly ran over to where Ichigo was and started jumping on him. "Ichigo!! Ichigo!! Wake up!!"

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Naomi raced after the man in her dreams up the staircase and out a door, revealing a very strange meadow with pretty flowers spread all over. _Strange…_ Naomi dazedly thought as she wandered around. _Where was that man?_

Lucia followed after the black butterflies, wondering where she was heading. She arrived at a very strange rock formation that looked like a cross from a hill and a path. Shrugging the strangeness off, Lucia slowly placed one foot on the rocky path and she suddenly fell backwards.

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Outside in reality, the waves had crashed into the ship so badly; it made the ship violently lurch to its side. Luckily, the ship managed to bob itself back into place and keep everything leveled.

Ichigo woke up in great irritancy. "What do you want now, Kon!?" He exclaimed in a whisper, though it was enough to wake Hitsugaya up.

"Onee-san and onee-chan…" Kon said in cracks of tears. "They're gone!!"

"What!?" Hitsugaya exclaimed as he got himself up. He peered at the bed they were sleeping on and it was completely empty.

Ichigo's gears finally kicked in and he rushed out for the door. "Lucia!! Lucia!!" Ichigo frantically yelled out as he tried to find the girls.

It was not long till Hitsugaya was following after Ichigo. "Ichigo!" Hitsugaya said to get the orange dude's attention. "You go look for Lucia and I'll find Naomi."

"Right", Ichigo said and he accelerated a great amount of speed afterwards. Hitsugaya quickly followed after him as well. But they didn't anticipate the huge puddles of water and it was not before long that Ichigo slipped and fell. And Hitsugaya, being the smarter one out of the two, simply slid on the water and ran up the staircase with Ichigo lagging behind.

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Lucia had finally made it over the top of the rocky path and she arrived at a wide barren area. She slowly walked on over the smooth barren land until she arrived at a steep cliff. Lucia looked around herself. The area looked like a rocky desert and the meadow had disappeared completely, yet the back was now covered with a vast field. Lucia looked back again to the cliff and she gasped in surprise…

Naomi walked up and down the meadow until she arrived at a field. She looked around some more until she saw a stout figure just standing there. As she got closer, she began to recognize her as Lucia!!

Lucia stared at them in surprise with her hands clapped over her mouth. _It's that woman and that child!!_ She realized in her head, but she also realized that they were standing on the edge of the cliff. "Come back, it's dangerous!!" Lucia yelled out in a strong voice, but that voice soon faded once she noticed the baby disappeared. Frantically, Lucia wildly looked all around her to see where the baby was. Finally in relief, she found the baby directly behind her, cooing for her to come towards her.

Naomi found herself looking at both Lucia and a woman that looked a lot like Lucia except she looked a bit calmer and gentle. She wore a light kimono and her hair was frayed at the ends a little, especially the middle strand.

Suddenly images began flashing through Lucia's head again. The baby was suddenly transformed into a girl, whom Lucia surprisingly recognized as… _Naomi,_ Lucia thought in a daze as she tried to make out what was happening, but the images just kept on flashing back and forth, transitioning from the baby to Naomi and back to the baby over and over again. The flashes were so bright and mind-boggling that it was enough to give someone a serious seizure. Lucia gripped onto her head and she painfully moaned for the images to stop. It was just too much for her.

"Rukia…" The woman said in a faint, yet gentle voice.

Slowly, Lucia began to raise her head again and the woman gave a gentle smile and opened her arms up, beckoning for Lucia to come forward. In a daze, Lucia slowly walked over to the woman and up to the edge of the cliff.

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Ichigo climbed up the tall structure and glanced out to sky over the deck. Moments later, he found her. "Lucia!" Ichigo yelled out, just as Lucia was about to step over the edge of the ship. "LUCIA!!!" Ichigo grabbed a loose cable and swung over the entire deck, right to Lucia.

* * *

Naomi's eyes widened in horror once she witnessed it happen. Right behind the woman, a large, fiery bird appeared and steadied itself to lung after Lucia. Naomi couldn't move or think, but just to watch the horrifying scene happen in front of her.

The bird grabbed Lucia's arm and it pulled her even closer to the cliff. The women had vanished and so did the baby, also Naomi. Lucia screamed and struggled to get the bird off of her until she felt someone grab her waist…this time for real.

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Ichigo had managed to land on the floor after the Tarzan-move and he grabbed hold of Lucia before she could take one more step off the edge of the ship. Lucia struggled on and on and she almost punched Ichigo in the face as Ichigo carried her bridal style away from the edge. Afterwards, Lucia began to furiously pound into Ichigo with her fists.

"Lucia! Lucia!!" Ichigo yelled and he shook Lucia to get her to open her eyes. "Lucia, wake up! Wake up!!"

Lucia snapped her eyes open and she soon saw brown eyes staring deeply into her. She was panting and looking around wildly as if something was frightening her. "A curse! The Kuchiki curse!!" Lucia exclaimed in madness.

"W-What are you talking about!?" Ichigo replied in confusion and surprise, but he soon felt Lucia head in his chest and her hands clutching tightly on his shirt.

"The Kuchiki curse!!" Lucia whimpered out again in tears as she buried her head closer to Ichigo. "I keep seeing faces, so many faces!"

Ichigo's face calmed down as he continued to see the poor girl break down in front of him. He encased Lucia in his arms and he whispered in a warm voice, "It's alright. I'm here now." He could feel Lucia's tensed body slowly calming down and loosening up, but she still held a tight grasp on Ichigo. "It's ok. It was only a nightmare. You're safe", he reassured Lucia.

Lucia just kept crying the entire time, drowning her fears into the person she had closest. Ichigo looked down on her in sympathy and he reached out to stroke her raven hair, soothing her to stop crying. Moments later, Lucia's tears were finally dried from her face, but she still kept a tight hold on Ichigo. She wasn't about ready to let go.

Nearby, Hitsugaya confronted Naomi who was just standing there in the middle of the deck. He walked up to her and looked at her from the front to see she was just staring out in the open with a shocked expression. "Hey! You okay?" Hitsugaya asked in worry and he gently shook the girl out of her daze.

Naomi snapped out of it and looked around herself. It was dark and stormy and she was all wet! Also, Hitsugaya was standing in front of her, looking at her for no reason. Suddenly, the ship rocked back causing Naomi to violently fall backwards. Luckily Hitsugaya was there to catch her before she hit the floor. "W-What was that?" Naomi asked in a faint voice that was full of fear.

"What do you mean?" Hitsugaya asked as he gently laid the frightened girl in his arms.

"There-there-" Naomi stuttered out, but she just couldn't get the words right. Seeing Hitsugaya was pretty confused, she shook off the nightmare that just happened. "Never mind…I'm ok."

Hitsugaya frowned at her for she was definitely not okay when he found her, but he'll interrogate her later about this. He pulled Naomi to her feet and helped her walk back to their rooms…where they interestingly found Ichigo and Lucia cuddled up in the bed on the floor, with Lucia still gripping onto Ichigo.

_Quietly… Quietly…_ Both Hitsugaya and Naomi thought as they tiptoed past the sleeping couple and Naomi had gotten back into her own bed.

"You sure, you okay?" Hitsugaya asked one last time and Naomi nodded. He looked at her once more before turning around to head back to his place and Naomi turned herself around to face the wall. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and her hands were wet as she fearfully clutched onto the covers of the bed. She was afraid to go back to sleep again.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Aizen's eyes narrowed even more and the pressure in the room increased so much, even Gin wanted to make a run for it. Aizen lifted his finger once again and shot more lightening at a bare wall. "I don't get how she keeps escaping?" Aizen said in a calm voice in the midst of his shooting rage.

"Ooh…" Gin winced a little. "I would take it easy there, ya know. Take some anger management classes here and there. Stop damaging the walls yer going to have to pay for later."

"Don't worry Gin. I know how to perfectly control myself", Aizen reassured his assistance and shot another lightning into the wall for the heck of it. He looked back down on the reliquary and he rubbed his head a little to get an idea. Afterwards, a smile graced his calm, unchanging face. "If these ideas don't work, I'm going to have to kill her myself."

"What!?" Gin exclaimed with no surprise. "Physically kill her? You mean up there?"

"Well, you know what they say. If you want something done right, you got to do it yourself", Aizen wisely said and he strapped the reliquary onto his waist. "Why I have such fond memories of the world above…"

"Like what?" Gin asked in curiosity.

"Like killing the last of the Kuchiki's, of course", Aizen whimsically said in a monotonous voice. "Well Gin, we should go now."

"Wait up!" Gin cried and he ran after Aizen before they were engulfed with green smoke to appear in the world above.

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Hilarious if I make Ichigo and Rukia/Lucia cuddle up in one bed and all the others (except Renji) happen to find out. Funny and romantic at the same time!! So anyways…

_Review!!!_


	16. Questions

_Sorry if I hadn't updated in such a long time. I was too busy with school and finals that it's hard to keep track of my fics. In the summer, it's going to be harder since I'm going to play tennis all the time and I probably won't have time in the summer to update. Oh well..._

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Questions

Byakuya sat down on his seat practically bored to death, though his serious and cold composure did not show this boredom at all, as he heard another Rukia imposter go on with the same speech he had heard for days. Seriously if they wanted to actually fool him, they should have brought a Naori imposter along. That would amuse him a little. After the imposter finished her speech, Byakuya slowly looked back at her in a very cold way.

"Don't you have anything better to do than try and fool me", Byakuya coldly said and the girl cringed back in complete fear. That was when Yoruichi stepped in.

"Well! I guess it's time for you to go!" Yoruichi said in a cheerful manner and she grabbed the girl to quickly escort her out of the house. And by escort, she went to and back in a second flat.

"Another one, Yoruichi?" Byakuya said in the same coldness that Yoruichi merely shrugged off.

"My bad!" Yoruichi bluntly said, irritating Byakuya further. "For sure, I thought that one was real. Well, real as I mean she kinda looks like her, but still…"

Byakuya quietly took a sip of tea as Yoruichi blabbered on and on. He set the cup back down on the table and he glanced at a framed picture near his hand. It was his beautiful wife, Hisana Kuchiki, just looking out at him with her warm gentle eyes.

"You know what!" Yoruichi perked up as she drank her tea. "Next time, I'm going to ask really HARD questions and—"

"No…not today…" Byakuya quietly said as he held the picture of his wife in his hands. "Or any other time. I don't want to see any more girls prancing around to be Rukia or Naori. I'm sure this wasn't her wish and she wouldn't want it to be. I'm going to find her myself without all this reward business going on."

Byakuya gave a quiet sigh and he left with the picture in his hands. Yoruichi just looked like she was hit with a ton of bricks.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Ichigo was quizzing Lucia as they rode their way through Seireitei, onwards to the noble Kuchiki house. Ichigo then began to notice Lucia getting more and more nervous as she continued to fidget around with something in her bag.

"Lucia, are you okay?" Ichigo asked since he's getting very worried about Lucia's nervousness.

"Oh! I'm fine!" Lucia perkily said and she went back to fidgeting her bag. "I just hope he doesn't notice me…"

"You're going to be fine!!" Ichigo reassured her. "Don't worry. He won't notice you and besides you're Rukia and you got Naori to back you up!"

"But for the last three days, I didn't know anything of my past. Now I'm trying to learn an entire lifetime!" Lucia exasperatedly pointed out.

"That's why you got me", Ichigo said and it gave Lucia a small smile. Seeing Lucia bright smile had unknowingly caused Ichigo to smile in return. All in the while, the two were blushing red like there was no end and they quickly turned their gazes away from each other. Renji had noticed this, rolled his eyes, and continued down the road.

Hitsugaya turned back from his seat and he saw Naomi dazedly staring out the window. She had her amber eyes peering out blankly at the passing scenery and her smooth blue-black hair resting on her shoulders. Her head rested on her propped up hand and she looked like she was about to fall asleep any minute.

"Anything wrong?" Hitsugaya asked.

Naomi blankly glanced at him before turning back to the window. "I'm fine…it was just that dream." She murmured out as she continued staring out.

"Look…" Hitsugaya said in a monotonous uncaring tone. "So you had a nightmare and it probably scared you a lot. But right now you have a job to do, so don't let it get you down."

Naomi's face suddenly changed from blank to surprise once he said those words. Hitsugaya gave a tiny smile of satisfaction as he noticed he had gotten Naomi's esteem up again. "Hitsugaya…" Naomi said and she slowly turned around. "You're really bad that, aren't you? But thanks anyway."

"W-What!?" Hitsugaya exclaimed in surprise.

"I mean, showing people you c-" Naomi started, but she was soon cut off when something jumped at her. It was brown, it had a spiky mane, and it was…Kon.

"Onee-chan!!!!!" Kon yelled as he made a happy jump towards Naomi.

Naomi easily followed her instincts, jump and hid behind Hitsugaya and let him take care of the menace. Such a procedure had been so routine-like, that Naomi knew exactly what to do if Kon ever did this. So naturally, Hitsugaya would pummel Kon to pieces. Naomi looked out from Hitsugaya's shoulder to see if Kon was dead yet and she settled back into her seat with both her and Hitsugaya's foot squishing on Kon. Renji looked at the two, rolled his eyes, and continued down the road.

Soon they arrived at the Shihoin manor and it was huge!! Rukia looked up at the steps and gasped of its immense size. Everyone piled out of the car and they walked up the stairs of the manor. Renji banged on the door a few times and he and the others slowly waited for an answer. After a while, the door creaked open and a guard dressed in black stood at the entrance. He didn't look like he was welcoming the group in as guests.

"What is your business here?" The guard demanded at the group. Renji was about to step up and give the guard a memorable whack in the head when a woman suddenly appeared.

"Is that how you treat our guests!!?" The woman barked out and the guard sheepishly kept himself silent. "That's what I thought." She said and she looked back out to the group before her.

"Hey Yoruichi", Renji nervously said and he paced himself forward. "Hope you don't mind us barging in-"

Renji was suddenly cut off when Yoruichi flashed over to him with amazing speed. "You didn't seem to change much", she murmured as she looked and flashed around Renji. "Gained a little weight I see!"

"Hey!?" Renji exclaimed and he made a grab for Yoruichi to get her to stop moving so quickly.

"And you're still slow", Yoruichi teased and she continued to move quickly around Renji like a blur. "I'd say you gotten a little weaker since the last time I saw you! Let see you handle this!"

She poked Renji here and there in the middle of her blurry running before punching him down to the ground. Everyone else just glanced at Renji as the woman in front of them was tearing him to shreds. Yoruichi stopped her teasing for a moment in order to welcome the guests.

"And who might you be?" Yoruichi asked once she gave Renji one last punch before leaving him dying on the floor.

"Well, you've beaten up my friend Renji and I'm Ichigo", Ichigo said and he made a gesture to everyone else. "That little boy is Toshiro and the other two are the true Rukia and Naori."

Hitsugaya gave a very irritated glare at Ichigo since two of the things he hated most was being called little and boy. Yoruichi gasped in interest. "So you think you're Rukia?" She asked Lucia who nodded. "Well, come inside! And we'll see."

Lucia and Naomi gave each other a reassuring smile before making their way into the large door of the Shihoin manor. Hitsugaya just kept scowling at Ichigo on their way in and Ichigo quickly turned around for two reasons. One was to shut the door and the other was to avoid Hitsugaya at all costs. He wasn't very happy for the moment and Ichigo knew what Hitsugaya could do to him. Then, Ichigo suddenly saw Kon running for the door.

"Wait!! Hold up!!" Kon begged as he ran up the steps and to the door.

Ichigo scoffed a little at the toy and he promptly slammed the door right in Kon's face. Kon could feel his anger rising up to his head. He never gets any respect from any of the males of the group and he hated it so badly. Kon swallowed up his anger and he jumped onto a nearby windowsill hundreds of meters away to see what was gong on.

Lucia had sat on one of the grand armchairs and Renji was still passed out on a couch. Hitsugaya occupied the other armchair and Yoruichi made herself and Naomi comfortable on one of the couches. Ichigo just leaned by the fireplace and watched the show from a distance.

"Let's get on with the questions", Yoruichi announced. "First, how many heads has there been in the Kuchiki family?"

"Twenty-eight" Lucia proudly answered and Yoruichi smiled and nodded.

After an hour or so of answering the very hard questions that Lucia had already prepared for, they soon arrived at the final question.

"You will most likely find this as an unimportant question, but indulging", Yoruichi explained and Lucia nodded in agreement. "How did you escape the siege of the palace?"

Renji suddenly woke up from his unconsciousness once he heard the question and Ichigo gave a quiet gasp and looked away from the scene. The both of them knew that they didn't prep Lucia for this question and if she got it wrong, it would put an end to everything.

Lucia peered down in deep thought into her bag to look at her special white object. She looked back up and said what she truthfully remembered. "There was a boy…who worked in the palace. He opened a wall…"

Ichigo pulled his head out of his arms once he heard that and he stared at Lucia in awe and shock. His mouth even dropped wide open in shock and it took a long time for him to realize this and shut up. But Lucia didn't seem to notice as she giggled to herself. "That's crazy! Walls opening!" She exclaimed and Yoruichi gave a so-so smile.

"Well…is she a Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya eagerly asked, but Yoruichi immediately turned to Naomi, who looked back at her in surprise. Though no one seemed to notice Ichigo moving out the door and into the wide-open garden outside.

"Hold on, I still have to ask this young one questions", Yoruichi said and this was when everyone panicked.

They haven't taught Naomi a single thing since they all thought the fact that Naori was a baby when she disappeared meant Naomi wouldn't need to be asked questions. They all thought Naori would be incapable of remembering what had happened that night so they didn't even bother.

"Don't worry. It's only one question and the answer doesn't have to be exact", Yoruichi reassured Naomi, who nervously nodded. "What did you do on the 300th anniversary ball?"

Naomi closed her eyes and everyone drew back their breath, waiting for her to answer. Naomi peered into her pocket and rummaged around until she found her precious white metal that had an inscription split in two. "I…broke something…" Naomi guessed and everyone breathed into the tension.

Yoruichi grinned and she playfully messed with Naomi's hair. "Correct!"

"Does that mean they are both Kuchiki's?" Renji excitedly asked.

Yoruichi shrugged and she drank her cup of tea. "Well, they both answered every question right."

"So, when can we schedule an appointment with the Kuchiki Head?" Renji gleefully asked.

Yoruichi gave a little sad sigh afterwards and she packed up the tea utensils to leave. "I'm afraid you can't", she sadly said. "He refuses to see anyone…"

"What!?" Renji exclaimed and he rushed on over to his teacher. "I'm sure you can figure something out to let her have a chance? Now can you?"

Yoruichi could sense a tiny glint in Renji's eyes and she peered down at his hand. He unwrapped his fingers and there in his hand sat…catnip. Yoruichi's instincts suddenly began to take over and she made a quick grab for the catnip before turning back to Lucia. "Do you like those Kabuki plays?" Yoruichi asked to a very out-of-it Lucia. "Byakuya and I go there **ALL** the time! We **NEVER** miss it."

Moments later, Ichigo could see Renji barging through the sliding doors leading to the garden outside. "WEEEEEEEEEEEE DID IT, ICHIGO!!! WE'RE GONNA GET THE 5 BILLION YEN!!!!!!" Renji screamed out.

"Renji. Renji!!" Ichigo said in a hushed voice trying to get his attention. He slowly toned his voice down to a more serious and intimate level. "She's the real thing, Renji. She's the real princess."

But sadly, Renji ignored him the entire way through. "Little Lucia put up such a great show!! Even I almost believed her and Yoruichi!! She fell for the entire thing!! And Naomi, she even answered a question right without any help!! That kid's a genius next to Hitsugaya!!"

"Hey guys!!" Lucia happily yelled out as she ran out into the garden as well. "Yoruichi says she's going to take us shopping for the play!! Come on! I don't want to miss it!!"

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The next chapter is going to be a tough one due to the fact that it's a SHOPPING MUSICAL!!! I hate to add singing, but I don't know yet. Whatever, till next chapter I guess…

_Review!!!!!_


	17. Shopping Is Cute

_Finally!!! I made it through the singing portion!! Since I'm not incorporating singing, I decided to have other characters make comments about you-know-what. Specifically Hitsugaya and Naomi and probably Renji and maybe Yoruichi. This is also the chapter where I just screw around with and it practically has no impact on plot. Also for the heck of it, let's see you keep count how many times Ichigo and Rukia blush in this chapter._

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Shopping Is Cute

"Hey! Hey! Hitsugaya!" Naomi called out as she fumbled around with a dress. "Do you think this dress looks good?"

"What do I look like? A fashion expert?" Hitsugaya replied with little to no care.

Naomi gave a pout and she stuffed the dress away. "Fine! But just to let you know, you're accompanying me to the play and whatever I wear makes you embarrassed. Deal with it!"

"No. I wouldn't be surprised if you pick a dress that makes you look fat." Hitsugaya continued to tease on and Naomi's face went red in a flash. "Since you weigh a lot, I'm not surprised if you're fat as well."

"I'm so going to slap you for that!" Naomi retorted while she menacingly walked up to him with her hand up high.

"It was a joke. Stupid." Hitsugaya said and he stood up to evade the girl. Yet, he stood up at the exact time Naomi was going to lunge at him. She had to stop herself in mid-step in order to not bump right into Hitsugaya. Their faces were only a couple inches away and their bodies were even closer. Their hands were almost touching each other as well. Hitsugaya gave a smirk and Naomi pulled away immediately at that moment.

_Cute…_ Renji thought of the two and looked away to go spy on Lucia and Ichigo.

"Ichigo! I'm getting this one!!" Lucia smiled and spun around in her new purple dress. "Don't I look good!?"

"Yeah, whatever." Ichigo said without paying any attention at all to her and instead paying attention to his clothes. Then, he walked outside to wait for the others while Lucia started changing.

_I bet his jaw is going to drop when he sees her._ Renji thought in amusement.

A couple moments later, Ichigo's jaw dropped when he saw Lucia and her new dress. Hitsugaya had to put it back up and Renji couldn't hold back his snickering. Only seconds later, Yoruichi ran up to a nearby florist.

"Here." She said handing a bright red rose to Lucia. "Your boyfriend here could have a little gift."

"Wait a minute. I'm not her boy-" Ichigo began and stopped when Lucia tucked the rose into his chest pocket. Her face remained happy and cheerful while Ichigo had a luminescent blush across his face. "Whatever." He mumbled.

"Naomi. If you're thinking of putting that on my head, forget it." Hitsugaya said without even looking.

Naomi gave her usual pout and moved away her lingering hand holding the rose. "Fine…I'll wear it then." And she tucked the rose into her dark blue hair, something that Hitsugaya actually recognized.

"It looks nice." Hitsugaya commented and Naomi smiled back.

"Gotta admit. These four are so adorable!" Yoruichi whispered to Renji.

Renji nodded and whispered back. "You should have seen Ichigo and Lucia on the ship. Together…side by side…and-"

"Renji!! I can hear you!" Ichigo growled and Renji immediately shut his hole up after that.

Lucia wandered off from the bickering two and she caught on to a musical band playing in the streets. Naomi noticed Lucia's absence and followed right after her.

"Dance?" Naomi asked Lucia with a smile.

Lucia nodded and took Naomi's hands and started dancing around with her. Everybody else noticed the two dancing and they gathered up around them, clapping and cheering them on. They twirled around, hands linked, and spun in circles. Naomi face lit up as she twirled Lucia around and around and around and around and right into Ichigo's arms. Both Lucia and Ichigo's face lit up with a slight shade of pink while everyone else gave a giggle and dispersed.

"Hey look! A painter!" Naomi excitedly ran up to the nearby artist and Hitsugaya reluctantly followed.

Lucia scoffed. "I can draw better than that. Right Ichigo?" She gave an oh-so-innocent look to Ichigo.

"No you can't." Ichigo replied and Lucia slapped him upside in the head for that one.

_Keep insulting her like that and she'll be gone in seconds,_ Hitsugaya thought as he peered behind him. Ichigo and Lucia were fighting again as if their bickering on the train hadn't changed a bit since then.

_Those two are so adorable together!!_ Yoruichi thought and she snuck behind Lucia. "BOO!!!"

Lucia gave a shriek and she unconsciously jumped to Ichigo. He caught her in his arms as if he knew this was going to happen all along. A bright flash was seen and a click was heard. Lucia and Ichigo immediately separated from each other afterwards. Both of them had another blush on their faces.

"Don't scare me like that!" Lucia whined in retaliation.

"I'll take five of those please." Yoruichi ran up to the photographer, ignoring Lucia the entire time.

"YORUICHI!!!!!" Both of their faces went red again.

"Hey! There are some street performers." Renji pointed out to a bunch of men that were actually posing for a photo.

They looked stern and very professional, something that Hitsugaya just had to wreck for the heck of it. He pulled Naomi aside from everyone else and moment's later, they separated and Hitsugaya quickly snatched the red rose from Naomi's hair.

"Give it back Toshiro!!" Naomi yelled and ran after him.

Flash. Hitsugaya enters the picture. Flash. Naomi enters the picture. Flash. They run across the entire thing, covering up all the men. Flash. They circle the still posing men who seemed to have no interest on why little kids are running through their photo. Flash. Now, Hitsugaya and Naomi started running through the men. Flash. Hitsugaya pushes two men out of his way. Flash. Naomi jabs two others out of her way. Flash. Five other men fall down by the domino effect. Flash. Hitsugaya tramples over the fallen men. Flash. Naomi's hand had gotten caught on a man's tie and she drags him down to the ground. Flash. There's a heap of worn out fallen men that were originally posing for a picture and got interrupted. Flash. Hitsugaya and Naomi both put up a peace sign at the camera. Flash.

"Here." Hitsugaya said and finally gave back the rose to Naomi.

Naomi smiled and held the rose gently within the fingers of her hand. "Thank you." She smiled and he smiled back as well. All in a while, a heap of posing artist were groaning in pain behind the two.

"Aww!! That's so sweet!" Yoruichi exclaimed in glee and she playfully nudged Ichigo. "Why don't you take that rose out of your pocket and give it to your maiden?"

"W-What!!?" Color rose to Ichigo's face again while Lucia started to wonder why he was turning red so much.

The night turned dark while people continued to bustle through the streets. They seemed to have enough energy that would last throughout an entire five days. Streetlamps flickered on and light shone through the windows of some of the nearby stores. This was where Lucia, Naomi, Ichigo, Renji, Hitsugaya, and Yoruichi decided to stop and eat some dinner. A particular restaurant that has service and can-can girls as entertainment.

"Oh my!" Yoruichi exclaimed, eyeing at the dancers in front of her. "Renji! I dropped my bag in the middle of the dance floor. Get it for me?"

_How is that possible? You weren't even near it!_ Renji suspiciously eyed Yoruichi and he got up from his seat. He headed towards the dance floor and that's when the dancers came out.

Ichigo and Lucia giggled on with each other as they watched Renji struggling to avoid the extremely flirty dancers and their erm-skirts that are flipping up and down. They could all see the welling embarrassment that was building up more and more in Renji. Naomi laughed as well and she laughed so hard that she almost fell backwards from laughing. Meanwhile, Hitsugaya and Yoruichi high-fived under the table.

"Here's your bag." Renji grumbled and threw the bag to Yoruichi.

"That's so sweet! Naomi, go give the nice man a kiss!" Yoruichi teased on.

"Okay! The joke ends there!" Both Hitsugaya and Renji retorted back. Naomi looked on at the two in blank confusion.

Suddenly, a man came over and asked for Lucia to dance with him. Lucia gave a look at Ichigo and he warmly smiled back as if telling her it was okay. Lucia smiled and she accepted the man's request and headed towards the dance floor. There, she twirled, spun, stepped, and danced with glee. Her face only showing great happiness and it sparkled every passing moment. Ichigo continued to stare longingly at Lucia and at every moment, he never took his eyes off of her.

Naomi could easily recognize this like finding an elephant in a bunch of mice. _Ichigo looks kinda sad…_ She realized. _Why does he look sad all of a sudden? Is it about Lucia? Is it about them? What about them?_

"Alright guys!" Yoruichi announced. "I think that's enough fun for tonight. But there's one more spot in Seireitei I have to show you."

She led the group away from the hustle and bustle of the busy streets and they arrived at a more remote area. It was full of lush vegetation and the endless path that led up to a hill seemed to be leading up to Heaven. They climbed for only a couple of minutes and when they arrived at the top, everyone gasped in amazement. In front of them was a field and further ahead was a flat rocky edge.

"If you go to the edge of the cliff, you can see the entire city of Seireitei." Yoruichi pointed out. "And it's even better to look at in the night."

Yoruichi was right. Every single little lamp, which had been lit up, beautifully dotted up Seireitei. Lights from stores and shops gave a shine to the streets. Buildings with windows shown light into the all skyscrapers and the skyscrapers, itself, reflected it all back to Seireitei. Right now, Seireitei was truly a sparkling place of dazzling lights.

"It's so beautiful…" Lucia whispered with her hands unconsciously interloping with Ichigo's.

"Yeah…" Ichigo answered and he could feel Lucia's head resting into his shoulder. Times like these, he just wants to stay in the same position forever. And he would never have to move. Always wanting to feel like this with Lucia.

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I lost count when I typed this thing up so I'm guessing 7 times? Whatever, review and I'll get back to the main point of this fic!!!


	18. Butterflies

_Yes. I know. What a weird chapter title for this chapter. Well, this chapter is a multitude of a gazillion things and I couldn't really think of an appropriate title. Anyways, on with this chapter and hope you don't feel noxious after seeing a bunch of random facts being thrown at you._

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Butterflies

The city of Seireitei shone brighter than any of the stars in the sky. People, who were all dressed up, proudly walked up the high steps of the theatre to enter. On the other hand, the boys sat outside of the theater as they waited for the girls to come. Ichigo wore just a simple tux and a top hat and he sat on the steps. Hitsugaya, dressed in a little tux with a blue shirt, just leaned against one of the pillars and amusingly watch Renji pace back and forth. Renji walked back and forth and back and forth, mumbling complete nonsense and his head tensed up from the thinking.

"We have nothing to be nervous about." Ichigo reassured him again for like the tenth time. "She is the princess and so is her sister."

"I know! I know!" Renji retorted back in a mumble. "It's just that-"

"No you don't know!" Ichigo said and he abruptly stood up. "I was the little boy who worked in the palace. I was the one who got Lucia and Naomi out. She's the real thing."

Renji stopped twitching for a while and he blankly glanced at Ichigo. His eyes were getting wider than dinner plates and his mouth dropping open. "That means…"

"That Lucia was Rukia all along and Naomi vice versa." Hitsugaya dully finished. "I knew for a long time now. Ever since Lucia found that sword you've been covering up." Hitsugaya nodded towards the wrapped bundle next to Ichigo.

"But that means…we found the heir to the Kuchiki House… We found her family… But Ichigo…you…" Renji said and Ichigo sighed.

"Will never see her again after this." Ichigo sadly finished.

"But Ichigo!"

"Servant boys can never end up with princesses." Ichigo said in a smirk.

"But!"

"Forget it! Now let's get back to the situation on hand. We still need to figure out a way to get Lucia to the Kuchiki Head." Ichigo reminded him.

Renji immediately went back to his pacing and muttering again after that. "That's the problem." Renji said. "You don't know my captain-I mean-the Kuchiki Head!"

"Wait a minute…captain?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes and Renji sheepishly rubbed his head with a goofy smile planted on his face. "And this captain of yours…?"

"Is Byakuya Kuchiki…" Renji sheepishly answered. "And I'm his lieutenant."

"Wait-What!!?" Ichigo exclaimed. "You mean-you're…what!!?"

"He means he is Kuchiki Byakuya's lieutenant." Hitsugaya said again in simpler words. "Renji works for him."

Ichigo stopped gasping long enough for him to ask another question. "But why will you, Byakuya's lieutenant, be traveling with us?"

"It's hard to explain…" Renji shrugged. "I can't really say why I'm here yet…"

Ichigo gave a big long sigh and he collapsed on the steps. "Is everyone here keeping secrets from me!?" He exclaimed out loud in frustration.

There was silence and Hitsugaya interrupted after a while. "Well…looks like I'm the only clean profile here-"

"Shiro-chan?" A female voice rang out from behind him. "Shiro-chan? Shiro-chan!! Is it really you? You finally decided to visit me!!" A girl, with her dark hair wrapped in a bun, ran up to Hitsugaya. She wore simple black robes with her lieutenant's badge secured on her arm. She had a rather open smile on her face and her eyes seemed to glitter with happiness.

"Quit calling me that Hinamori!" Hitsugaya retorted back and struggled from her hug.

"But it's been such a long time since you last visited!" Hinamori whined. "You've been missing out a lot here in Seireitei."

"Oh. And I forgot to mention that Hitsugaya actually knows a lot of the seated officers here. Probably some of the captains as well. I also heard he's a favorable candidate to become a high seated officer here in Seireitei, but he already rejected a lot of offers." Renji mentioned.

Ichigo gave a rather large groan. "What can't Toushirou do!?"

"What? Jealous?" Renji teased and Ichigo sharply glared at him, making Renji shut up immediately. But Renji was able to talk again afterwards. "You know…about the fact that you used to be the kitchen boy…you really need to tell Lucia about that…"

Ichigo retorted back "No!! I'm not telling her!"

"Tell me what?" Lucia suspiciously eyed Ichigo, who looked like he needed to take a sink in the tub. Lucia pulled her purple jacket tighter around herself as she walked up to Ichigo. Her eyes continued to glisten with a light purple shine and her hair shone with dark brilliance.

"Nothing." Ichigo mumbled and he held out his hand.

Lucia continued to give him a look, but she shrugged it off and took his hand. They both walked into the theatre and Renji trailed on behind them.

"Are you here to see the play?" Hinamori asked. "I'm on guard duty here since our commander is attending."

"Yeah I am." Hitsugaya answered. "But she is late."

"Oooh!!! Who's she?" Hinamori teased.

Hitsugaya glared at his friend and replied back in a sarcastic tone hidden in his voice. "She is an orphan that I have to baby-sit!"

"Is that her?" Hinamori asked and she pointed to the middle of the crowd in front of the theatre.

Naomi confusedly scrambled in and out of the humongous crowd. She looked shocked and confused like she didn't know where to go. Hitsugaya couldn't help, but stare at the girl with a blank look. Naomi's shoulder-length hair was partly put up in a high bun and the rest just flowed down to its normal length. Part of her bangs, that had neatly framed her face, kept slapping into her face as she flung her head left and right. Her head kept moving that it looked as if the ruby barrette in her hair would fall out any minute.

"Yep. That's her." Hitsugaya confirmed. "Look at her. She's like you when you were little. Always scared and needing me for everything." Hinamori pouted. "See look. The minute Naomi sees me. She's going to come running up to me and yell at me for not waiting for her or something."

Naomi continued to look around until her head flipped over to Hitsugaya's direction. Her flushed face slightly went rosy and she gasped out in happiness. She gave a smile and started bolting towards Hitsugaya. Her hair flew past her and her eyes shone like the brightest lights in Seireitei. Naomi continued to show her excited face as she. Ran. Right. Past. Hitsugaya.

"My… She seems happy to see you!" Hinamori sarcastically remarked holding back her snickers.

"Yachiru!! It's been so long!" Naomi exclaimed out loud and she hugged her pink friend tighter.

"Nao-chan!!" Yachiru exclaimed back and she hugged back. But her strength was so overwhelming, it easily surprised Naomi.

"Can't-breathe-" Naomi wheezed out in bits of air.

"Yachiru-chan. I think your friend here can't breathe." Hinamori warmly said and gently released Naomi.

"Thanks!" Naomi gasped out.

"Hmm… Well I gotta go! Kenny will be mad if I'm late!" Yachiru jumped up and prepared to run off. "It's been fun seeing you again Nao-chan!!"

"See you!!" Naomi excitedly waved back. She sighed in plain relief that she had seen her best friend again. She turned back in blatant surprise to a still smiling Hinamori. "Have we met?"

"No I don't think so!!" Hinamori exclaimed. "My name is Momo Hinamori!"

Naomi giggled. "Well my name is Naomi…eh…" She paused a little on the last name and she started speaking again afterwards. "Nice to meet you!!"

Hinamori giggled back and it wasn't long till both girls started laughing. The situation had gotten too fluffy for Hitsugaya to stand so he had to interrupt. "Now that introductions are done, we should really get to the play or we'll be late." He reminded Naomi and pushed her into the theatre. "Hinamori, you should get back to your post."

"Okay Shiro-chan!!!" Hinamori yelled out loud and disappeared from that spot.

Naomi found herself giggling again. "Shiro-chan? Shiro-chan!?"

"A stupid nickname she made for me." Hitsugaya growled and he practically shoved Naomi right into the coatroom.

"It's a cute name!" Naomi commented as she undressed out of her coat.

"Shaddup" Hitsugaya groaned and still kept his back turned on her.

"You can look you know." Naomi remarked when she noticed that Hitsugaya seemingly refused to see her and the new dress she was wearing. "Don't worry cause I don't look fat in this dress." There was no answer. "Fine! I'll go out myself!"

With that, Naomi walked right out of the coatroom and right into Hitsugaya when he returned from the bathroom. She felt her face thud into his chest and her body falling back. His hands catching her around the waist as she almost fell. She regained her step and their faces were so close, she could see even the lightest teal in his dagger eyes.

"Aww!! I don't know who's cuter!! These two or those two!!?" Yoruichi cooed.

Naomi and Hitsugaya heard her and they quickly separated. Hitsugaya regained his composure in seconds flat and he dragged Naomi to what Yoruichi seemingly was referring to. When the two made it, they weren't surprised. Ichigo stood at the bottom of a large staircase, staring up with his gaping mouth wide open. Lucia could feel a hot pink feeling rise into her cheeks as she slowly descended down to Ichigo. She wore a simple, yet elegant dark purple strapless dress. It shaped up with the rest of her body and it even trailed down straight to the floor. It had a translucent sparkling cape trailing from her back and she wore arm-length white gloves with the whole outfit. Her raven hair had a particular black shine to it as she left it flowing freely down.

"You look…" Ichigo started, but trailed off in mid-sentence. Lucia smiled and she reached out and linked their arms so Ichigo was the one leading her away.

"She's a total winner." Naomi sarcastically joked behind their backs. Her dress was more on the childish and simpler terms than elegance. Her dress was more of a ruby red off the shoulder type. Her bodice simply ended at the bottom of her chest and it trailed down to her feet with a red ribbon trailing down to the bottom as well. It was only her hair that had been well made and decorated.

"We won't know until she goes through the Kuchiki Head." Hitsugaya reminded her again and led Naomi to the theatre to their seats.

Lucia got into her seat and she looked around, trying to see if she could find him. Ichigo peered around through a pair of gold binoculars. He glanced around and abruptly stopped.

"Look!" Ichigo whispered and handed over the binoculars to Lucia. "He's over there on the lower balcony!"

Lucia looked again through the binoculars. She saw a well-dressed man who was stiffly sitting on one of the comfy chairs. Yoruichi looked like she was rambling on about something again and the man particularly looked like he wanted her to shut up. He had a cold stare on his face and a stern frown on his lips. To Lucia, he looked very, very scary.

"Please let him remember me." Lucia whispered to herself and looked through the binoculars again.

Throughout the entire play, there were blaring sounds of wonderful music and really theatrical actors that really did make the play come alive. Even Hitsugaya actually paid attention to the entire thing and Naomi looked like she was a little girl seeing a circus. On the other hand, Renji seemed bored out of his mind and he instead searched for any of his buddies that happened to be in the audience. There were a few and Renji and his Seireitei buddies were mouthing to each other and giving hand signals the entire time about halfway across the balcony.

As the play continued on, Lucia found herself getting more and more nervous. After seeing the stern look on her supposed brother's face, she had already convinced herself he would see right through her. Lucia was sure he was going to reject her of being his little sister. Lucia nervously played around with the paper program on her lap as she watched the play. Soon, she found herself unconsciously ripping the program to pieces.

Ichigo immediately noticed this and he grabbed for Lucia's hands to get her to stop. "Everything's going to be fine." He reassured her.

Lucia smiled a tiny smile and she wiped all the pieces of paper off her lap. She looked back up to watch the play again but the entire time, she was looking on at Byakuya Kuchiki. Byakuya never moved once and he looked like a completely lifeless robot. Carefully analyzing the play for anything that seemed out of place. Not once has he cracked a smile or any type of emotion. Time flew by and Ichigo grabbed for her hand again.

"Come on… Guess it's time." He whispered and led her out of her seat.

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Next scene is next scene and it's the one I'm going to post later. It's the one where well Lucia discovers this, this and that and…I can't spoil it for you!! Well movie probably will… Anyways…Review!!!! I'll post the next chapter when I have the time!


	19. Broken Lies

_The oh so tearful part where Lucia finds out about Ichigo's true intentions. It's a little spiced up a bit by me and I added an extra thing in the end. I made this short chapter more emotional for the characters and you readers! Yes, I haven't updated any of my fics in a looong time because it's the summer!! And I don't feel like writing when it's summer! Maybe on a rainy day!_

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Broken Lies

Lucia felt herself swaying back and forth constantly as she walked through the hallway. Her head was spinning and her stomach was just jumping around like crazy. Her mind was filled with thoughts of doubt, thinking that Byakuya would see her as a fake. That she would not find her family in his. That she would fail and remain an orphan. Lucia felt like her own nervousness was eating away her self-esteem. Her body and mind just couldn't handle her nervous breakdown. Lucia's eyes widened even more and her heart pounded even louder as she and Ichigo was only a couple of feet away from the door to Byakuya's theatre box. Lucia soon found herself averting back and running right to the exit.

Ichigo spotted the nervous girl trying to go and he quickly grabbed Lucia's trembling hands. "Don't worry! Everything's going to be all right!" Ichigo reassured Lucia with an optimistic feel to his voice.

Lucia weakly smiled back and she let him lead her back to the door. Once they arrived, Ichigo turned back to Lucia. "Wait here and I'll go tell him you're here."

Lucia watched him turn and reach out for the doorknob. Lucia's face fell and she felt a large lump form in the back of her throat. She felt like she needed to tell Ichigo about well… Without warning, Lucia made a quick grab for Ichigo's arm. "Wait Ichigo." Lucia softly said.

"Yes?" Ichigo anxiously asked, hoping to hear something good.

"Look. We've been through a lot together and I just wanted to say…well…" Lucia felt her voice becoming trapped.

"Yes?"

"I-I" Lucia just couldn't spit it out. Her nervousness and anxiousness just couldn't make her speak. "I want to say…thank you. Yes! Thank you for everything."

Ichigo's face showed slight disappointment and he turned away for the door. Lucia turned away also to hide her now furiously blushing face. But Ichigo's hand on hers made her turn back.

"Lucia, I…" Ichigo started and like Lucia, he couldn't spit it out.

"Yes?" Lucia excitedly asked. She had hoped he would solve this tension between them.

Ichigo sighed and quickly said. "I…I want to wish you good luck."

"Oh…" Lucia felt a wave of disappointment running over her. "Thank you. Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded and he finally released Lucia's hand and entered through the door. When he entered, Ichigo had swung the door shut. But the door didn't shut all the way and it had left a small crack in the opening. Noticing this, Lucia couldn't help but to eavesdrop in to Ichigo.

Ichigo confidently walked in and Yoruichi stopped him in mid-step. Yoruichi winked as she played along with their little act and Ichigo started his announcement. "Please inform the Kuchiki Head that I have found his sister, Rukia Kuchiki. She is waiting outside this door at this minute."

"I'm sorry sir, but Byakuya will see no one." Yoruichi promptly informed in a serious tone and she granted access to Byakuya.

"Tell that man that I'm not interested. I have seen enough Rukia's to last me a lifetime." Byakuya coldly said, thinking that he'll have to deal with yet another imposter.

"You better go." Yoruichi nervously said, noticing Byakuya's killing intent leaking through the curtains behind her. She could tell Byakuya was definitely not amused even if he did keep a super straight face.

Ichigo ignored Yoruichi and he simply brushed past the woman. Ichigo lifted the curtains and hurried his way to the noble man sitting in his seat. Byakuya kept his straight face at Ichigo as Ichigo started to explain. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki and I used to work at the palace."

"I see you imposters get more and more creative through the passing days." Byakuya sarcastically said and he stood up to leave.

"Hold on a minute!" Ichigo pleaded and trailed after the man.

"No. You hold on a minute!" Byakuya sternly snapped back. "Every single day, I see the same thing over and over again. People like you get a girl and make her look and act like Rukia. But in the end, it's never her."

"Please!! Just talk to her!" Ichigo was getting more and more desperate as Byakuya continued to walk out on him.

Byakuya rushed through the curtains and he turned back to face Ichigo. At the exact moment Ichigo had ran out, Byakuya was able to point the tip of his sheath right at Ichigo's chest. His face remained completely blank, but Ichigo could sense his frightening inner fury. "Ichigo Kurosaki. I've heard of that name all the way from Karakura Town. You are that con artist that held auditions for Rukia look-alikes. Now you've come all the way here to take the Kuchiki fortune."

Lucia gasped once she heard those words. She covered her mouth in shock and her eyes started filling up with tears. Is that what Ichigo was after all along? Was Ichigo just using her to get to the money? Did he not care about her after all?

"Get him out of my sight!" Byakuya lowered his sword and two guards came afterwards.

They grabbed Ichigo and dragged him away from the room. Even Ichigo's shouts and struggling seemed to not affect them. He was shoved out of the room and he fell onto the floor. The guards glared down at Ichigo and they promptly slammed the door right in his face, locking Ichigo out. Ichigo scrambled up to his feet and thought about ramming through the door, but the sight of Lucia's presence prevented him from doing so.

Lucia's hot venomous fury was already getting the best of her. Her fists continuously clenched and unclenched themselves and her eyes narrowed to a perfect icy glare. "You…" Lucia dangerously growled.

"Hold on Lucia! Just listen to me!" Ichigo pleaded and he followed right after her.

"Listen to you!!?" Lucia's anger hit sky high and there was no way she could stop herself from yelling. "Why should I listen you!? So you can tell me to pretty up and act like the Rukia you made me be! I was just a part of your con to get his money!"

"You heard, didn't you?" Ichigo softly said as the wheels clicked in his head. "Please! I can explain! It started out that way, but everything's changed!"

"Ughh!!!" Lucia groaned and with disgust she turned away to get away from the man she now recognized as a traitor. Ichigo tried to grab her arm, but Lucia immediately shoved him off and started yelling in his face again. "I can't believe you Ichigo!! I just can't!! You were using me all this time! Do you not care about me!?"

"I do!" Ichigo cried out and he desperately followed after Luca.

"Why would you use me then!?" Lucia demanded with her anger and sorrow rising more and more. " I believed in you! I trusted you! I thought you cared about me! And to think I actually lo-Oh!! JUST FORGET IT!!!!!"

Ichigo grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. "Look, I can explain all of this. I know who you really are and I can tell you! Just give me a sec-"

"DROP IT ALREADY!!!!!!" Lucia cried and seconds later, she painfully slapped Ichigo in the face. Her hands had enough force in them to drive Ichigo back a couple of feet. Shocked and surprise, Ichigo lifted his head and only felt a pulsing red lump on his cheek. He looked up to see Lucia with her hands still positioned after slapping Ichigo. Her hard exterior had already broken down and tears were streaming down from her eyes. "You idiot…" Lucia quietly choked out through tears and she turned away to run.

"Wait Lucia!!" Ichigo scrambled up to run after her, but a couple passing people had gotten in his way. When he had gotten through, Lucia was already gone.

Lucia just kept running and running and barely looked up to see where she was going. Her heart just couldn't bear the fact that all this time she was being used. And by someone she had fallen in lo- well she can forget all that. Lucia wouldn't even care if she had run off the edge of this very theatre. Her hair was already getting screwed up and her tears were making her eyes redden. She scrambled down the steps of the theatre and continued to run for it…right into a waiting Naomi.

"Lucia! How was it!?" Naomi excitedly asked, but her face fell as she noticed Lucia's dripping face. "Lucia…"

Lucia dropped down on her knees and fell right into Naomi's arms. She loudly cried in her arms with her cries muffled by Naomi's clothes. Her tears ran down from Naomi's arms all the way down to the street. Lucia's crying just showed no signs of stopping. Naomi felt shocked as her first reaction, but her face softened and she placed a comforting hand on Lucia's head. Naomi continued to reassure Lucia in a way that Lucia will know she will always be there. Always.

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Well…got nothing to say. I'm still thinking on how to reveal that both Lucia and Naomi are actually sisters. It's kinda hard… Well!!! In the meantime, review on this update and I'll update more later! When I feel like writing!!


	20. Reunited At Last

_Very, very heartwarming chapter for me. The chapter where Lucia finds out who she really is! And you know how I found it hard to reveal Naomi as really the sister of Lucia, I finally figured out how to manage that. Just read on!!_

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Reunited At Last

Ichigo stood waiting outside the theatre entrance waiting for his target to come. It was late at night and all of the guests that have arrived were gone. Renji had taken Hitsugaya back to the place they rented and who knows where Naomi is. And Lucia was probably running off still, not if Ichigo doesn't catch her first.

Suddenly, Byakuya came out with his eveningwear wrapped tightly against his body. Byakuya walked down the steps and to his car with Ichigo quietly sneaking behind him. A young chauffeur opened the door of the car and Byakuya graciously stepped in. That's when Ichigo sneaked around and scurried into the drivers seat. He then slammed his foot on the on of the pedals and drove off in dangerous speeds.

"Slow down." Byakuya ordered as the vehicle swerved left and right under him.

"I'm not your driver!" Ichigo pounced back in the same tone. "And I'm not stopping. Not until you see her!"

"I see…" Byakuya frowned and he reached for something under his seat. "I might as well stop you myself."

Ichigo quickly slammed the brakes and he swerved around, holding the tip of a white blade against Byakuya's neck. "You're not the only one." Ichigo warned and he pulled the snowy white sword back.

Byakuya frowned and released whatever he was trying to get and Ichigo went back to driving. Ichigo was pretty much a reckless driver as he curbed at least five signs and made two other cars abruptly stop at an intersection. Ichigo madly swung the wheel and he slammed his foot down as the arrived-tumbled at the house everyone had rented to stay.

Ichigo stepped out and slammed the door of the car and headed towards the back seat. He slammed open the backseat cars and almost started yelling in Byakuya's face. "You have to talk to her!" Ichigo demanded. "Just look at her! Please!"

Byakuya calmly looked up at Ichigo and then closed his eyes and looked away. Only a moment after, Byakuya was able to turn back to Ichigo. "That sword that you have…" He said.

Ichigo reached out for the white sword that lies in the passenger seat. He unwrapped the cloth and showed it to Byakuya. "This?"

Byakuya slowly touched the sword and held it in his hands. He looked at it with great intent, observing its every detail. "Where did you get this?" He breathed.

"I know that you have been hurt. And probably annoyed by all those imposters." Ichigo said with great intuition. "But it's possible she is just as hurt and alone as you."

Byakuya slightly glanced at Ichigo and said with an exasperated tone. "You'll stop at nothing, will you?"

"I'm probably just as stubborn as you." Ichigo pointed out, now that he had managed to see through Byakuya's cold and aloof cover.

Up in their bedroom, Lucia angrily shoved all her clothing into her little brown suitcase. She had taken off her gloves and she had unclipped all the jewelry she was wearing that night. Naomi exasperatedly laid on her bed, trying her best to make Lucia reconsider. Though her efforts were getting more and more fruitless.

"Please Lucia!" Naomi begged in her most innocent voice.

"No." Lucia snapped and she stuffed even more clothes into her suitcase.

"Reconsider on what you're doing!"

"No I won't!" Lucia grabbed for the last piece when she spotted the rose she had gotten from that day of strolling through Seireitei. She softly lifted it up and gently touched the nimble petals. But immediately afterwards, Lucia frowned at it and she dumped it into a wastebasket. Suddenly, there were a couple of knocks on the door. Naomi looked up at the door with interest while Lucia just made a horrible face at it.

"Go away Ichigo!" She exasperatedly said and continued the last of her packing.

The door opened and Naomi's face went to shock and surprise once she noticed who had came in. Naomi couldn't speak up well enough to tell Lucia who it really was.

Lucia heard footsteps come in and she was about ready to give Ichigo some more of what she's got. Lucia whipped around, but she only saw a man with the most serious look she had encountered. Her eyes widened when she had noticed who he really was. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She gasped. "I thought you were-"

"I know who you thought I was." Byakuya interrupted her. "Now who are you?"

Lucia sighed and her face fell. "I was hoping you could tell me." She mumbled her words.

Byakuya calmly walked over to the balcony of their home. He gave a glance at Naomi, who looked either shocked or scared. Due from her bright yellow eyes and her sleek dark blue hair, Byakuya might have guessed she was used to play Naori Kuchiki. She resembled her just as much as Lucia did to Rukia. But then again, Ichigo had recruited them. "Look. I'm tired of being conned and tricked."

"I don't want to trick you!" Lucia insisted.

"And the money doesn't interest you either?" Byakuya asked with no doubt hidden deep within his tone.

"I just want to know who I am!" Lucia insisted again. "I want to know if I belong to a family… Your family!"

Byakuya glanced back at Lucia with still his straight face. She held a pleading look and a so innocent face that Byakuya had seen in a certain someone he knew close. But, he had already seen that face over and over again. "You're a very good actress. The best yet so far." Byakuya complimented her and began to walk away. "But I've had enough."

He started for the door when Lucia managed to catch something dangling from his pocket. It was a shiny gold pocket watch with something carved on it. Lucia squinted at it and she was barely able to see a certain flower on it. "Sakura?" She asked out of nowhere.

Byakuya turned back in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"A cherry blossom. On your watch right there." Lucia pointed to the dangling circle coming out of Byakuya's vest.

"Yes." Byakuya reached in and held up the dangling watch. "It's a very important symbol of the Kuchiki family."

"Yes…I remember now!" Lucia smiled in delight as the bits and pieces came together in her head. "I remember when you came over during the spring. During a celebration where we would sit under the cherry blossom trees and have a picnic. You said you liked cherry blossoms and I remember going off with an armful of cherry blossom petals and pasting it all over the walls of the guest bedroom you were staying at. I thought you might have liked the decoration I gave you. But Mommy got mad and Daddy was teasing you for being too girly."

"Really. There is no need to go into such details." Byakuya nonchalantly asked, but Lucia just continued with her reminiscing.

"On those days where you went back Seireitei, I would go back to that room and just stay there. It would always remind me of you and Hisana." Lucia smiled afterwards.

Byakuya nodded and he gestured for Lucia to come closer. He reached back and he felt something long and rigid. But the most important part, he felt a silky ribbon flowing out from one of its ends. "What is that?" He asked, gesturing to the white object. Naomi gasped and she ran back to her own room with neither of them noticing.

"This?" Lucia asked with great confusion and she held up the piece of metal. "It's just some piece of scrap metal. I've had it for as long as I can remember."

"May I?" Byakuya asked and Lucia nodded. Byakuya took the metal and he pulled out a snowy white sword made of a similar metal. He compared the both of these together while Lucia just gasped at the sight of that very sword.

"That's-"

"It was a gift that was supposed to be passed down to Rukia." Byakuya mumbled and set both the sword and the piece down.

"I remember this!" Lucia excitedly exclaimed and took both pieces out of his hands. "I was so excited for this! Ohh! How proud you and Hisana were to give it to me! I remember…" Lucia gasped as the memories flushed right into her head, even the bad ones. "I remember how my little sister broke it."

"I imagine she would have the other piece." Byakuya said. "So you must not be a fake after all. I'm glad. Now I'm able to finally rest from all this. But Naori still isn't found yet…and now that I've found you, Rukia, I'm sure she's near. I'm sure of it."

"Nii-sama…" Rukia felt a tear rise from her eyes and she felt happiness weave right through her. Once she and Byakuya were able to find her sister, they all would be reunited once again! Rukia felt her emotions overwhelming her and she was about to jump into Byakuya's arms when…

"Nee-san…" A quiet voice said and Rukia turned back to see who was speaking to her.

Naomi looked up to both Rukia and Byakuya with her eyes brimming with tears. She wiped off some of the tears and she tried to speak again. "Rukia…I-I'm-" Naomi found herself not being able to spit it out. Instead she pulled out the same exact metal for the sword. She held it up in a way that the both pieces together that were inscribed read 'Together in / Seireitei.' Rukia gasped from the sight and Byakuya knew right off the bat what that meant.

"Rukia…Byakuya…" Naomi's voice cracked out in tears. "We're finally together."

Rukia just lost it then. She fell out from her seat on the chair and she encased Naomi-ri in her arms once again. Naori gladly smiled and she hugged back with her own tears pouring out. Rukia just cried and cried, knowing what she had been searching for was there all along and Naori was feeling too overwhelmed to react. Byakuya nodded at his two last pieces of his family and he placed a reassuring hand on Rukia's back. The three of them just sat in that very room, looking after each other, not noticing who was just outside their door.

"Good job orphan…" Hitsugaya softly said. "You finally found it." He sighed and glanced at a nearby clock. It was getting pretty late and he had to leave. He was due right now and Hinamori was going to complain to him for being late.

Ichigo just stared up to the balcony from the street he was standing on. He gazed up and blew a single kiss for best wishes. He turned around and walked away through the night.

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Meanwhile, Aizen peered through the images his reliquary was showing right now. He had only seen the part where Rukia was hugging her brother since he kind of overslept. He had transported both him and Gin to a nearby place to stay and it just happened to be delivered newspaper, one reading '**ROYAL PARTY PLANNED, MISSING KUCHIKI HAS BEEN FOUND**'

"Gin. Better prepare yourself for a party." Aizen warned with a glad smile on his face. "I believe it is an appropriate place to have her killed."

"And we're back to the killing." Gin whimsically mumbled and began reading the newspaper, skipping all the way to the entertainment section. "Hey Aizen! What's something that can make artificial Arrancars? Seven letters?"

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Later that night, Naori and Rukia continued to giggle with laughter as Rukia reminisce all of her forgotten memories. They were now in Byakuya's home, which was very large that Naori had to hold onto Rukia to not get lost. They sat in one of the living rooms while Byakuya had fetched some old things from their childhood. Rukia was so fascinated with a picture of all three sisters that it took her only minutes to let it all in.

"I remember now…" Rukia whispered as she felt the photo. "How much I loved Hisana… Where is she?"

Byakuya replied back. "Unfortunately, she's not here anymore. An illness had taken over her on the spring of the fifth year."

"Oh…" Rukia gasped as sorrow came through her. "I'm terribly sorry…"

Byakuya shook his head and took the photo away. He placed the photo backing the box while Naori was just fingering through it. "Who drew this piece of junk?" Naori teased, trying to lighten the dark atmosphere. She had found a portrait with numerous doodles of bunnies and what sorts. It was drawn…very, very badly.

"Hey! I drew that!" Rukia retorted and she grabbed the drawing from Naori.

Naori shrugged and she grabbed for another piece of paper. "The Seaweed Commander." Naori read off the sheet and she showed another cartoon-ish drawing to Rukia.

Puzzled, Rukia shook her head. "I didn't draw that."

Naori glanced up at Byakuya and he stared at her in a way that she was too scared to embarrass him. "It's uh…" Naori tried to make something up. "Very high in terms of fine art. Definitely higher than Rukia's here."

"Hey!" Rukia retorted back. "It's not like you can draw any better."

"Actually…I can. My fingers don't lie." Naori pointed out and grabbed for a framed sheet. On the sheet was a collage of colorful imprints of fingerprints. It was printed in such a way that the colors just made the mind wander throughout the entire piece. Seeing the embarrassed face of Rukia's, Naori felt she just had to rub it in even more. "And I found it framed outside in the gallery."

Rukia felt like exploding till Byakuya intervened. "Just seeing you two argue reminds me so much of my in-laws." Byakuya walked up to a case and he opened it up, revealing a sparkling tiara. He gently held it in his hands and placed it right on Rukia's head. He then showed Rukia's reflection to a nearby mirror. "You have the powerful voice of your father and the beauty of your mother. And you show such a striking resemblance to my wife, Hisana Kuchiki."

Rukia proudly smiled at her reflection and gently touched the surface of the mirror. She felt so glad to be a Kuchiki. _'Finally, I'm home…'_ Rukia proudly thought and she happily twirled around with her new sparkling tiara.

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Haha!! Rukia and Byakuya's horrible drawings return once again! It's so easy to make fun of it's not even funny! Anyways from now on, Lucia will now be called Rukia and Naomi will be called Naori. They're back to their original names! Yay!!

_Review for the next chapter!!!_


	21. Saying Good Bye

_A super short and super sad chapter where Ichigo has to leave everyone as he goes back to Karakura Town. Two reasons why this chapter is important. One: You get to see everyone acting all sentimental. Two: You get to see Kon again after his mysterious disappearance from all the other chapters! And yes, he's still the same old stubborn Kon! Enjoy the chapter!!_

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Saying Good Bye

Rukia's eyes traveled from her glistening tiara all the way to the bottom hem of her new dress. Her tailor, Uryu Ishida, had just finished making the very last adjustments on the gown. Rukia swiftly twirled around and let the skirt flow up as she twirled. She wore an off the shoulder dress and a tight bodice that hugged from her chest to her waist. The rest of the cloth flowed down to form the skirt and several layers were added to give it a poof. The sleeves were also off the shoulder and it flowed on her arm till a slit was made at the elbow. She also wore a sash along with the dress that shone with white brilliance. Her entire dress was made entirely of shades of purple with each skirt layer a different shade. Her sleeves were lavender and so were most of the designs on her bodice. She had her dark raven hair pinned up by a large jeweled clip. Rukia also wore her sword, Sode no Shirayuki, at her waist with her entire gown. She really looked like royalty now.

"Rukia! You look so beautiful!" Naori gleefully commented, causing Rukia to blush all over.

"You look cute too!" Rukia replied back in the same giddy manner.

Naori smiled back and she also twirled around to show off her gown. She wore a sparkling midnight blue gown. It was a spaghetti strap dress with the scrunched up bodice ended just below her chest. The rest was made of sparkling cloth and dark blue satin that flowed all the way down to the floor. She also had transparent yet still sparkling sleeves at started from the spaghetti straps and ended just at her wrists. She had also worn a sash like Rukia's, except it was green and a star connected the ends at the top of her shoulders and the other ends were tied at her waist. Her dark blue hair was partially put into a ponytail with a golden pendant holding it back and the ends of her side bangs were clipped with golden beads that perfectly matched her eyes. She looked almost as dazzling as Rukia.

Naori faked a curtsy to Rukia. "Why thank you!" She mimicked one of those high-class people and both sisters laughed in glee.

_**Meanwhile…**_

On the floor above the two girls, which could be accessed by the grand stairs on the side, there were Ichigo and Byakuya talking about serious business. Byakuya kept a super straight face that it even made Ichigo nervous on what he wanted to talk about. Ichigo kneeled on the floor before Byakuya and vice versa as they began to talk. The room was spacious, but it needed a couple of decorations here and there.

"You summoned me Byakuya?" Ichigo asked.

"Please refer to me as "Kuchiki-sama." Byakuya muttered in an irritated tone. "Yes, I have summoned you to let you collect your reward. Here are the five billion yen as promised and my apology as well." Byakuya pushed a suitcase full of cash towards Ichigo.

Ichigo stared down at the load of money before him and he slowly pushed it back to Byakuya. "I accept your apology…but I don't want the money." He s honestly said.

Byakuya suspiciously eyed Ichigo with intent behind his face. "Is there something else you want then?" He asked.

Ichigo sighed and glanced away from Byakuya's stare. "It isn't something you can give…" He mumbled to Byakuya.

Byakuya continued to look at Ichigo with a confused look. How was it that a man changed from conning for the money to refusing it when given? "Why do you not want the money now?" Byakuya asked. "You were the servant boy, weren't you? You saved Rukia, Naori and, I. Also, you restored my lost relatives back to me. Yet, you want nothing in return. Why the change of mind?"

"It was more like a change of heart." That was what Ichigo said before leaving the room. He gave a short quick bow to Byakuya before exiting.

Byakuya arched a brow at the boy, still visibly confused. Moments later, he finally figured it all out. It seemed like Ichigo wanted something that was worth more than money and probably all the money in the world. Byakuya wondered if he would allow it…

"Kurosaki!" Byakuya called out to Ichigo and tossed a package to him. "Do me a favor and toss this piece of junk out."

Ichigo shrugged and took the package with him. It was very long and slender and it was wrapped with fine black silk. Ichigo held onto it as he made his way down the stairs where he encountered Rukia going up.

"Hello Ichigo." Rukia curtly greeted him.

"Hello…Rukia." Ichigo replied in the same fashion.

"Did you get your reward?" Rukia grimly asked to her once friend. Though she was positive he took it, inside, she wanted him to say he refused it.

"My business here is finished." Ichigo smugly replied and continued to walk right past Rukia. "It's been nice…for both of us, Rukia."

"Sir!" One of the gentlemen said to Ichigo. "You are to refer to the princess as "your highness" and you are to bow before the princess."

"No, that's not necessary." Rukia tried to say.

"No, it's perfectly fine." Ichigo quickly cut her off. He gave a modest bow to Rukia. "Good bye, your highness." And with that, Ichigo walked away from Rukia not once looking back to meet eyes.

Rukia sadly watched him leave. An urge within her told her to follow after him. It told her to plead him to not leave. It told her to get to Ichigo as fast as possible. Rukia didn't know what to do! Instead, she just watched him walk away from her. "Good bye." Rukia whispered.

**_Meanwhile…_**

Renji fixed about the last strand of hair on his spiky ponytail. He smoothed out his black kimono uniform and secured the lieutenant badge onto his arm. He seemed a little uncomfortable putting that badge on since it's been a long time since he last worn it. It was lucky enough that his captain still accepted him back as his lieutenant even with the long absence. Renji glanced at himself one more time in the mirror before deciding he looked all right. He was just accompanying his captain to the ball after all.

Kon was also with Renji and he was helping him decide the glasses. Kon was shuffling through a bunch of shiny glimmering glasses until he found a good pair. "I think these will work." Kon said and tossed the sunglasses to Renji.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Those are expensive!" Renji complained and frantically caught the sunglasses. After, he adjusted them onto his forehead and tried on the look to see if it looked appropriate.

Kon snorted at how girly Renji was acting and he put on his royal sash. That was his costume to get ready for the ball and he must say, he looks rather dashing. It was probably good enough to score some ladies there. He stood at his pedestal and just stared at his pretty reflection.

Suddenly, Ichigo came in and he stopped in his tracks when he saw Renji and Kon. "I-uh-came to say good bye." Ichigo muttered out as he came in and closed the door. "I see you took your position back as lieutenant."

Renji nodded and replied, "But Ichigo, you're leaving already? You know you're making a mistake."

"Trust me." Ichigo firmly said to Renji. "This is the right thing to do."

Renji went up and gave a pat to Ichigo back. It was their way of hugging since actual hugging was a bit too weird for both of them to do. "Good luck in Karakura Town." Renji wished for Ichigo.

"Good luck being Mr. Stone Face's lieutenant again." Ichigo whimsically replied back to Renji and patted his back as well.

Then, Ichigo glanced over at Kon who was just staring down at the floor. Kon's face only showed a mixed expression and he looked like he didn't know what to say. Finally, Kon looked back up at Ichigo and loudly growled out, "Hah!! It's good to finally see you gone! Now onee-san will be all mine and you'll be out of the way! There's nothing you can do now!! Good riddance!! And never show your face to me or onee-san ever again!!!!"

Ichigo gave a steady grin at Kon and went up to pat the stuff animal's stubborn head. "Yeah, I'll miss you too Kon."

Kon just grumbled something inaudible and he turned away to not meet eyes with Ichigo. He folded up his arms against his plushy chest and continued to stubbornly mope.

The door behind Ichigo suddenly opened up and two figured walked in. Naori came in wearing her brilliant sparkling dress while Hitsugaya came in with an entirely different attire. He wasn't wearing the old clothes that he traveled in. He wore the exact same black kimono uniform as Renji except he wore a white haori with the symbol ten written on it as well. He also had Hyourinmaru with him, except he had to hold his sword in his hands since it was too tall for him to wear on his waist. He had also lost the old band that kept Hyourinmaru secured on his back.

Renji looked a little freaked out and he immediately went into a position that soldiers of an army use. "Good evening Captain Hitsugaya!" Renji said.

"At ease, Renji." Hitsugaya replied and Renji relaxed after that.

"Well, I see somebody finally took the job." Ichigo said and playfully jabbed Hitsugaya in the shoulders. "So Toshiro, how is it to be the new 10th Division captain?"

"Well, I just found out my lieutenant is a complete lazy ass." Hitsugaya muttered and flicked away Ichigo's hand. "By the way, you are supposed to refer to me as "Captain Hitsugaya" now, not "Toshiro." I'm a position of authority you know."

Ichigo shrugged at the request. "I really don't see the difference."

Hitsugaya was about to retort something smart back when he spotted the suitcase in Ichigo's hands. "So, you really are going to leave?" Hitsugaya asked in a soft voice.

Ichigo nodded at Hitsugaya. He was about to reply when he suddenly heard a whimper coming from behind Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya moved out of the way to reveal Naori on the verge of tears. Naori looked back up to Ichigo and right at that time, she finally broke down. "Waaahh!!! Please don't leave Ichigo!!" Naori cried and she ran up to Ichigo and tightly hugged his waist. "Please don't leave!! Everyone's going to miss you!! Renji will miss you! Hitsugaya will miss you! Even Kon will miss you! I miss you!! **Rukia will miss you!!** So please don't leave us!!"

Ichigo gave a small smile at Naori. She was crying to him and hugging him like a little sister would to her brother if he would leave her alone. It was cute for Naori to feel for him like a brother. Ichigo gently pushed Naori away and he knelt before her so their faces were facing each other. "I'm sorry Naori, but I have to leave. It's better this way."

Naori shook her head with her tears flinging around showing that she greatly disagreed with it. She continued to cry and tears came rolling down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away with her clenched fists.

Ichigo gently wiped away the tears with his own hands and he placed his hands back on Naori's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm going to be fine!" He lightly reassured the little girl. "Things like this will always happen. You just have to be strong to get by. So please, be strong…for me. Okay?"

Naori nodded as her tears slowly began to disappear and Ichigo stood up again to leave. Hitsugaya walked up to Naori and dragged her away from Ichigo. "You're such a crybaby." Hitsugaya mumbled to Naori, trying to lighten up her mood. "But you're not as bad as Bed-wetter Momo."

"Shut up Hitsugaya!" Naori stammered out and did her best to get rid of her reddening eyes.

Hitsugaya did what seemed right and handed her a handkerchief for her face. He wanted to remind her about his title, but it seemed like she was too overwhelmed to hear him again. He then looked back to Ichigo, who was getting ready to leave. He already had his coat and hat on and his suitcase was already packed up and ready to go. Ichigo noticed Hitsugaya was looking at him. Hitsugaya walked up to Ichigo and placed out his hand. "I guess…this is good bye."

Ichigo nodded and gripped onto Hitsugaya's hand with his hand. They both firmly shook hands before releasing. "Yeah…good bye Toshiro."

"Captain Hitsu-"

"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo sarcastically said and he walked out the door, waving back to all of his friends. He was waving back to all of them, but he didn't turn back to them to meet eyes. It would have been too painful to bear. It would be hard to finally say farewell to people he had bonded with most and had strong ties with. It would be hard to let them go forever. That's why he didn't glance back when he said good-bye to her.

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Did I surprise anyone? Yes, I made Hitsugaya a captain because he's suppose to already be a captain and he is too good to not use his sword other than a training dummy. (Though it seems to always be the other way around) Renji's back to being a lieutenant and you get to see Rukia and Naori in pretty dresses! And you get to see Naori cry and act like a complete girly girl. Heh and guess who's the lazy ass as Hitsugaya's lieutenant?

_Anyways…you know the drill…review!!!!_


	22. A Frightful Evening

_I am almost at the end of this chapter!!! The ball part was getting a little boring for me and I didn't want to spend a paragraph describing the ball, so I made a HitsuHina dance!! And I made Naori do arts and crafts! And Rukia's in the back…moping…_

_Enjoy the chapter!!!!!_

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A Frightful Evening

The ball has finally started. Many guests came in lavish gowns and fine suits and couples happily danced in the ballroom. A large case of stairs led up to a platform where the royal family will sit, though no one was occupying the chairs. Guards were dressed in their standard black kimono and they were posted all around the inside and outside of the building. Though some were slacking off and they were enjoying the fun that the ball offered. Captains didn't need to guard and they were an important figure so they could enjoy the party, legally.

Hitsugaya was one of those people. He had convinced Hinamori to get someone to relieve her and in turn, she made him dance with her. Naori sat in the sidelines, guarding Hyourinmaru, where the banquet was held and amusingly watched them dance. She had refused to sit alone at the royal platform. After dancing, which was really Hinamori dragging him around, Hitsugaya went up to Naori and sat down with her.

"How was dancing?" Naori asked, holding back the snickers.

"Okay…" Hitsugaya said and grabbed his sword again from the table.

Naori suddenly shot her hand out and she grabbed the sheath of Hyourinmaru and stopped Hitsugaya from pulling it away. "Aren't you getting tired of always holding that thing?" She asked in concern.

"My hand's aching only a little. But I'm fine." Hitsugaya replied and tried to pull his sword back, but Naori wouldn't give in.

Naori snatched the sword back and she examined the sword as a whole. She held it up at the light, twirled it around a bit, and also compared its height with Hitsugaya. Finally, Naori set the sword back on her lap and she took off her green sash and star. "You're going to be at a disadvantage if you carry your sword in your hands." Naori mumbled and she wrapped the end of her sash on one end of the sheath and vice versa. She set the sword so it would hang on Hitsugaya's back and she fastened it up with the star pin. "There! You're better off like that." Naori said in satisfaction.

Hitsugaya tested out the new position of his sword. It was positioned so perfectly that he didn't feel anything poking him and his hand could easily draw out the sword with ease. It also felt a lot lighter. "Thank you." He thanked a smiling Naori.

"It's okay. That was for helping me get here." Naori replied with her face shining in happiness. She motioned Hitsugaya to follow her and walked away up to the stairs and sat down on the throne. Hitsugaya followed her and stood by her side. In truth, they were listening to Rukia behind the drapes.

Meanwhile, Rukia pulled back the curtain and glanced out to the ballroom for only a few seconds. She saw her little sister chatting with Hitsugaya in one of the thrones and a bunch of couples dancing. The ball was very wonderful and it looked like a heck of a lot of fun…but she just couldn't enjoy it. Sighing, Rukia closed the curtains and her eyes. She suddenly jumped when somebody grabbed her arm but luckily, it was only Byakuya.

"You do know he's not there." Byakuya told her and released his grip.

"I know. He's probably spending the five billion yen as fast as possible." Rukia replied in a blunt fashion and she turned away in disgust.

"Rukia!" Byakuya sharply barked out, causing Rukia to stumble around in surprise. He softened up once Rukia's attention was solely on him. "He didn't take the money."

"He didn't?" Rukia gasped.

"Rukia Kuchiki…You were born in this world of nobility and riches. But is it what you want?" Byakuya asked and he sat down on a nearby stool, gazing up at Rukia.

"Of course it's what I want! I found who I am…I found you! What else is there?" Rukia asked, but her head was jumbling of answers.

Byakuya sighed and took Rukia's hand and held it with both of his. "You know I'll always be your brother. You can never break a family…but something else can… Is it how you want it to be?"

Rukia lowered her head and tried to hide her teary eyes. "I-I don't know anymore…" She stammered out.

Byakuya released his grip and he started his way back out the ballroom. "Whatever you wish…" He offered one last piece of advice before disappearing behind the drapes.

Rukia lowered her gaze and just stared at the glistening floor she was standing on. Nothing moved for quite a while, only Rukia's mind as she tried to comprehend all her thoughts. Her feelings and mind were all so jumbled up; she didn't know what to do anymore.

"Onee-san!!!!" Kon suddenly jumped out and lunged out for Rukia.

Through instinct, Rukia stepped over to the side and let Kon fly right out the door to the garden. Kon flew and smacked himself against the fountain there. He slowly fell against the marble and plopped down on the ground. Kon was just mildly unconscious after, but his head was dead enough to see a pretty mind created image right in front of him. Specifically, those perverted ideas that run through his head.

"Wait for me…" Kon mindlessly said and he walked away like a complete zombie. "Wait for me in that soft marshmallow lump…"

"Kon?" Rukia suddenly realized Kon didn't come back for her. Confused, Rukia peered out the doorway and saw the stuffed animal mindlessly walking off. "Kon? Kon! What are you doing Kon?" Muttering a bunch of curse words under her breath, Rukia ran out after Kon.

**_Meanwhile…_**

Ichigo stood in line to wait to get his ticket for the train back to Karakura. He stood there, all packed up and ready to go with his coat and suitcase on. The man in front of him was taking a pretty long time and Ichigo was quickly getting impatient. Reaching for his pocket watch, Ichigo suddenly felt something soft in his pocket. He quickly pulled out a gleaming red rose. The same red rose that the girl he loved gave to him that night. Ichigo softly smiled and reminisced of that day out in Seireitei. Just watching Hitsugaya, Naori, and Rukia enjoy their fun and not worry at all.

"Next!" Somebody just called him up.

Meanwhile, Naori watched Hitsugaya go to Hinamori when she had called him over. Apparently, there was a commotion that needed a captain's assistance. Hitsugaya reluctantly went to sort out the problem after assuring Naori he'll come back afterwards. Naori just smiled and waved him off. After, she just sat at her royal throne seat and gazed out at the party. Nothing was really happening right now. Byakuya came back and sat down on his throne, couples were dancing, some people were lounging around, and all the officers were on guard. Nothing was happening. Bored, Naori stood up and went to the back room to see what Rukia was up to.

"Rukia?" Naori asked and lifted up the drapes. "Rukia? Rukia!" Rukia had disappeared!

Frantic, Naori glanced out the door to see Rukia rushing out the garden. Her eyes widened and Naori started shivering in fear all over again. She saw something off in the distance. A large fiery bird perched on a nearby bridge and Rukia was heading towards it right now!

"No Rukia!! Don't go there!" Rukia couldn't hear her. Naori frantically went up to a nearby display case and smashed it open and grabbed whatever was inside. It was a sword, but a Chinese jian and not a katana. Naori never fought with a jian, but it'll have to do. She grabbed it and ran down the steps…

Only moments later, "Naori?" Hitsugaya questioned and lifted the drapes to the back room.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Rukia turned both left and right and tried to find out where she was going. The garden had transformed into a large maze of hedges and she'd gotten herself lost. Her dress had already gotten so dirty and her neatly combed hair was already out of place. Rukia ran through another opening through the hedges and she finally found Kon standing near a bridge. Kon was still staring dreamily into a blank space.

"What the hell Kon!?" Rukia screamed and stomped on Kon.

"Huh? What?" Dazed, Kon looked back up to see Rukia. "Onee-san!!! Ooof!!" Rukia gave him another big stomp from the wrath of her heels.

"Rukia…Rukia…"

A slight whisper could be heard throughout the darkness. It eerily sounded so soft yet so loud that it echoed throughout the entire city. That whisper was so creepy, Rukia picked up Kon and went fleeing for her life.

"Rukia…Rukia…"

Rukia suddenly stopped in her place when she noticed somebody emerging from the shadows. He had a merciless glare in his eyes and his brown hair was slicked back until a little strand hung in the middle of his eyes. He had a super evil grin as he looked on at Rukia. In his hands held his green reliquary.

"Why hello Miss Rukia Kuchiki?" Aizen greeted when he came after Rukia.

"Who-Who are you?" Rukia asked, fearing for her life.

"Let me help you…refresh your memory…" Aizen grinned and raised his hand.

A small ball of energy formed and it shot out of his hand and right through Rukia from where she was standing. Rukia gasped from the pain and dropped Kon to the ground. She grabbed her chest in pain and fell down to the floor herself. Images raced through her head and she began to remember that ball. The anniversary ball, the one where Aizen showed up to ruin.

"A-Aizen…" Rukia stammered out from the aching pain and struggled to get on her knees.

"Correct." Aizen said in a grin knowing he can finally kill her.

Gin had run off and now, he gazed down at the battle from a nearby statue. "Yer on yer own Aizen! This can only end in tears!" Gin called out and continued watching the scene below him. He would not dare to intervene right now.

Rukia slowly got up on her feet, still breathing heavily from the pain earlier. She raised her head and glared at Aizen. "You're supposed to be dead!" She sneered at Aizen.

"Correct, but I did sell my soul remember?" Aizen pointed at his reliquary that was gleaming even greener at every second. "Now, I'm going to finish what I started!"

The reliquary shone again and it shot out creatures towards Rukia. Grabbing her white sword, Rukia tried her best to cut the things to little pieces. But nothing worked as she swung her sword. The creatures had already torn off layers of her dress and it tore off the sleeves till only an inch of it was left on. Her sash had been torn off and her dress, now only a couple layers, was left with slits and rips. Her glittering tiara had fallen off and her hair was getting completely messed up. Rukia kept swinging her sword around until most of the creatures were done away.

Rukia glared on at Aizen. "I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU!!!" She declared and sheathed her sword once more.

"We'll see…" Aizen said and he summoned more from his reliquary.

Light shot out and cracked the bridge around where Rukia was standing. A section swung loose and now, it was hanging itself from the mere cables. But those cables were soon to break at any moment. Rukia grabbed onto the stones of the bridge and she fearfully hung on for dear life. But slowly, her fingers were slipping away as she hung at a right angle.

"RUKIA!!!!!!" Somebody shouted and the next thing Aizen knew, he was close to being a shish kabob. Naori stood there with a jian held in both hands, pointed directly at Aizen. She had a daggered glare in her eyes and a murderous intent behind it.

"And who are you?" Aizen calmly asked, eyeing at the new girl that shown up.

"Naori Kuchiki!! Rukia's little sister!" Naori declared and raised her straight sword to stab Aizen. "And what the hell are you?"

"Oh…so I need to kill two Kuchiki's then." Aizen realized. "Oh well, that won't make any difference."

Light shot up from under Naori's feet and the ground cracked again. Strong vine-like things sprung up and strangled Naori into dropping her sword. It sharply wrapped itself around Naori, around her body and legs and neck, tightly squeezing her. It was so fast and sharp, it tore off most of the cloth from Naori's dress that it now only hung a couple of inches above her knees. The glittering transparent layer was already torn off from then, dress layer and sleeves included. The vine-like thing wrapped itself on Naori's neck and tightened, choking her. Naori gasped, but the vines had already covered her mouth, and she frantically tried to pull it away from her neck.

No one knew who was in a worse situation. Either Rukia hanging from her death or Naori being choked to death. But what matters is that both were only a mere inch from their graves.

"This is the end for both of you." Aizen declared, glancing down at Rukia and up at Naori, both having a sign of fear in their eyes. "No one can stop me now!!!"

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Oh…my…god… Cliffhanger!!! Now, what will happen to Rukia and Naori when they're this close to death? The battle scene was too long so I split it in half in the most convenient way. And writing up Naori's death-like scene with the vines was hardest to write since I had to do it without thinking "Tentacle Rape! Tentacle Rape!" After watching a recent Bleach episode, I had to do it.

_Review!!!!_


	23. At The Beginning

_Yes, some people were kind of pissed that I left the last chapter as a cliffhanger. Well this one's the chapter that will end it all. I don't feel like splitting the ending since it's like mega short. Anyways, back to the action!!!!_

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At The Beginning

"Wanna bet!!?" Somebody cried from afar.

Aizen's head whipped around right at the time Ichigo slugged him in the face. Aizen stumbled back a bit and glared at him, holding his throbbing cheek. Ichigo withdrew something from behind and prepared to bolt at Aizen. With nothing out to defend him, he held out his reliquary just as a pitch black long sword knocked it out of his hands.

"No!" Aizen quickly dashed after the rolling reliquary.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried as her hands on the stone pavement slipped.

Ichigo dove out onto the broken section of the bridge and grabbed Rukia just as she was about to fall. He pulled her up high enough for her to regain her grip back on the bridge. Rukia frantically grabbed onto the muscled arms of Ichigo as he continued to pull her up.

"Ichigo! If we live through this, remind me -"

"I know, save it for later!" Ichigo interrupted her as he struggled pull the girl up.

"Move away, you nuisance!" Aizen growled and sent Ichigo far away from Rukia as possible.

Ichigo felt his body slam against the hard cold stone of the bridge and he felt something rocky crushing against his chest. Cracking open an eye, he caught sight of a statue of a phoenix crushing its talons against him. Bearing it no longer, he finally let out a scream in agony and pain and struggled to break free.

"ICHIGO!!" Rukia cried out once she heard him. Slowly, her hands started to slip from the stone pavements again.

"This is goodbye, Rukia." Aizen grinned as he reached out and clenched his hand around Rukia's neck. He pulled her up and met her eye to eye. "Sayonara." He whispered and promptly dropped Rukia down.

Nearby, Naori's body fell limp as the vines strangling her overtook her. She closed her eyes, hoping to not see the gruesome effect afterwards. Suddenly, she felt something being cut and the grip started to loosen around her legs. She nervously opened an eye and caught sight of a boy with white sparkling hair.

'_H-Hitsugaya Toushirou?'_

"Stay still." Hitsugaya commanded and he sliced right through all the vines from Naori's chest down to her knees. He than made an uppercut slash with his sword, making precise cuts to be rid of the vines on her neck and mouth. Naori gasped and stumbled right down to the cold ground.

"Are you okay?" Hitsugaya asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about me! Rukia!" Naori brushed off and tried to stand up.

"Onee-chan!!!!!" A cry was heard and threw itself right in between Naori's bare legs.

Naori clenched her teeth, irritated, and slammed Kon right back down to the ground with her heels. "Really Kon! At a time like this!!"

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at Aizen and started sprinting at him with his sword aimed right at him. He reached out and stabbed Aizen right at the leg just as Aizen had dropped Rukia. Aizen grimaced in pain as the blood ran down from his leg. Rukia fell down, but luckily managed to grab onto the main bridge just as the dangling broken portion fell down into the river. Aizen ignored the searing pain and glanced to see who did that.

"Stupid brat." He muttered and sent Hitsugaya flying right back at Naori.

"Toushirou!" Naori cried out and she ran up to Hitsugaya as he skidded towards her with his body landing face up against the ground.

"You're next little girl." Aizen menacingly said, chuckling as he headed towards Naori.

She pulled Hitsugaya closer to her and positioned her sword, ready to defend. Kon whimpered in fear and hid behind her body. She felt a sweat drop rolling down her forehead and onto Hitsugaya's pained face.

Aizen pointed his reliquary at Naori. "Long live the Kuchiki's!!" He yelled into the open air and the reliquary prepared to attack at Naori.

"Right!" A female voice called back from behind Aizen. Rukia stood at the edge of the bridge with her glaring centered right on Aizen. "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

Rukia charged and rammed Aizen to the ground. She tackled him, trying to make a grab for the reliquary in his hands. Aizen tried his best to make it out of her reach and he tried to tackle back as well. Soon, he pushed her off and sent Rukia rolling back out of his way.

"Toushirou! Hang on!" Naori cried out for her fallen friend.

Hitsugaya winced and opened an eye. "Naori." He managed to say and she breathed a sigh in relief. "Naori. We need to get that thing out of his hands."

"How?" Naori cried out.

Hitsugaya struggled out his explanation but he couldn't say anything. Instead, he made a grab for Kon and struggled to get on his knees at least. "Make yourself useful!" Hitsugaya grunted and threw Kon right at Aizen.

"Die!" Aizen yelled and held his reliquary high in the air.

Right at that time, Kon flew right by the reliquary and knocked it right out of his hands. It flew out and dropped down onto the ground, rolling right under Rukia's awaiting foot. Rukia narrowed her eyes and pressed down against the object.

"No!" Aizen frantically dove and tried to release his reliquary.

With no mercy, Rukia pressed even harder against the thing, cracking the glass along with it. At that moment, the vines behind Naori crumbled and so did the phoenix that was keeping hold of Ichigo. Though the rocks shattered and knocked him right on the head. An unconscious Ichigo, bruised and battered, fell down onto the ground. Rukia gasped at the sight of him and pressed even harder, almost shattering the glass.

"This is for Ichigo!" Rukia cried and slammed her foot right on the glass, scraping it against the stone. The glass was only one foot stomp away from completely shattering.

Naori stared at her sister, completely amazed by her courage. Hitsugaya sighed and fell back down with his head caressed in Naori's arms.

"This is for my family!" Rukia shouted and stomped even harder. "For Naori and for Captain Hitsugaya!!"

"No!" Aizen angrily yelled.

"And this…" Rukia paused and glared down at the man. "This is for you, Sousuke Aizen. Sayonara!" Rukia pushed down as hard as she could and shattered the glass completely. Shards flew out in all different directions and the top and bottom parts flew out away.

A green light shot up from Aizen's body and started to overtake him and everything around him. Rukia quickly ran back to Ichigo and shielded him from the blast. Hitsugaya weakly closed his eyes and in turn, Naori shielded him with her own body as well. The light shooting out from Aizen suddenly stopped and drew back. A huge explosion was heard and fragments of dust and stone flew out from it. After that, nothing was left of Aizen except for his white robes. It's over now.

When Naori heard only silence, she looked back up to see nothing again. Hitsugaya opened back up his eyes and nodded that it was safe now.

Rukia uncovered Ichigo from under herself and stared down at his calm, closed face. He didn't even show signs of waking at all. Noticing it was too late, Rukia turned around and softly cried into the folds of her ripped up dress. Naori softened her gaze at her broken sister and turned away to not cry too. Rukia continued to cry, now that Ichigo was gone, now no one was there with her. She was all alone without him.

A groan suddenly sounded from behind Rukia. Surprised, she suddenly whipped around and her flinging arms slapped Ichigo right on the nose just as he was getting up.

"Ow!!" Ichigo winced and grabbed for his nose in pain.

"Ichigo!" A tearful Rukia cried back and fiercely hugged him tight, causing him to fall back with Rukia on top of him. Ichigo couldn't hold back and he loudly groaned from all the pain in his chest. Noticing this, Rukia quickly pulled back. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"I know. All men are babies." Ichigo grunted and tried to get back up.

"I thought you went back to Karakura Town." Rukia asked, helping him up on his knees.

"I know…"

"But why-"

"I couldn't" Ichigo said gazing into her amethyst eyes with his own.

"Why?" Her eyes slowly started to tear up.

"Because…I…"

Rukia moved her finger to his lips and made him stop talking. She unconsciously moved closer with her lips heading to his. Ichigo caressed her cheek and also moved as well. Their hearts beating louder and louder and beating in sync as well.

"Rukia…" A soft voice suddenly broke it up. Naori stood above them with Rukia's sparkling tiara in her hands.

Ichigo took the tiara back and he stared at it with a silent solemn look. He glanced back at Rukia. "They're expecting you…" He said in a whisper.

Rukia slowly took the tiara back, staring down at its familiar gleam. It's shimmering jewels and sparkling gems. The thing must have worth over millions and millions of yen. Something that only Kuchiki's could buy. Somehow, Rukia could only see it as worthless.

* * *

Byakuya entered the sitting room of his palace. Even though it was adorned with lavish curtains and fancy furniture, it felt empty once he spotted a familiar tiara and note. Renji stood by the tiara and awaited for his captain's presence.

_**Dear Nii-sama,**_

_**We'll be together in Seireitei someday. Take good care of Naori in my place. I know she and you will miss me. I love you all! Good-bye!!**_

**_Love,_**

**_Rukia Kuchiki_**

Yoruichi peeked over the shoulders of Byakuya, also reading the letter. "My, my…" She mused on and snatched it out of his hands. "I guess this is the happy ending."

"No." Byakuya paced up to the balcony and stared at the stars. Maybe Rukia was doing the same…wherever she is. "I believe it's a perfect beginning."

* * *

'_Rukia…'_

Naori sadly stared up into the stars in her place at the bridge. The river shimmered below her and it perfectly reflected everything up at the sky. The wind suddenly blew by her ripped dress and bare legs causing her to greatly shiver. She clicked her teeth in the cold when she suddenly felt something placed over her shoulders. It was soft, white, and had a number ten written on it so it was probably Hitsugaya's.

"You miss her already?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Yeah." Naori nodded and pulled his captain's haori closer to her body.

Hitsugaya gazed at her before looking back up at the stars.

"You know though…" She suddenly spoke, causing him to turn back. "I believe it's for the best. It's about time I stood on my own two feet."

"That is if you don't crush the earth under your two feet." A smart remark came back.

Naori haughtily glanced at him, annoyed, "You never get tired of that, do you?"

Hitsugaya shrugged and smirked at her. "Not once."

"Shiro-chan!!!!" A happy call for his nickname sounded. Hinamori giddily ran up to her best friend from all the way from the ends of the bridge.

"Hello Bed-wetter Momo." Hitsugaya replied back in the usual insulting matter.

"Hello Lieutenant Hinamori." Naori greeted.

Hinamori slightly blushed and waved her hands out for no. "You don't have to be so formal Kuchiki-hime. You're a noble and nobles don't have to call the lower ranks by their titles." She glanced at the haori on Naori's back and her still shivering bare legs. "Oh my! You must be freezing! I'll escort you inside if you like?"

"No, it's okay Lieutenant Hinamori." Naori replied. "Besides, I'm going to have to wear those same robes of yours in a couple of days."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Hinamori blinked, confused.

"Lieutenant Hinamori!" Naori enthusiastically exclaimed and reached out for Hitsugaya's arm, pulling it close to her. "Meet my new captain, Captain Hitsugaya of 10th Division!!"

"What?"

Both Hinamori and Naori doubled in laughter and they giggled in complete unison. Hitsugaya just stared on at the two, completely confused and maybe slightly happy.

Meanwhile, a boat coming from under the bridge they were on honked its horn as it passed by. Rukia happily leaned her snowy white sword against the seat and pulled Ichigo to come out. Ichigo took her hand and followed after her. The two started dancing through the night. Twirling around, spinning, dancing in each other's arms. Rukia spun and danced around him in complete grace and she finished landing into his arms. She stared deeply into those eyes. Those brown hazel eyes. Slowly reaching up, she caressed the palms of her hands against his cheeks and brought herself up close to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up. This time with no further interruptions, their lips slowly met each other. Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands traveled up to her back.

Kon happened to be passing by. "Damn you Ichigo!!" He growled, clenching his paws. He sighed and unclenched them afterwards. "Well, I guess I'll let him off this once."

They both broke their kiss at the same time. Rukia gave a simple smile with her clean face shimmering in the moonlight. Ichigo smirked at her and picked her up high in the air. He twirled her around and around, bridal style, with Rukia happily chuckling with him. Her arms grasping onto his strong shoulders and her tattered, but still beautiful dress trailing with her.

In the seats where they once sat, there laid a beautiful snowy white sword with a long white ribbon coming out from the hilt. That was Sode no Shirayuki. Crossing blades with it was a pitch-black sword with no sense of other colors and a chain coming from the hilt. A sword that Byakuya had given to Ichigo, taking it as trash. That's Zangetsu. Two very different blades, yet very beautiful when they're together.

* * *

Gin grinned down as the boat passed by his bridge. "My…what was I thinking to split these two up?" He mused on, as they were happy in each other's arms. "They're happy. That's good."

"Gin?" A female voice tiredly called out to him.

"Hello there. Ran-chan." Gin waved at the blond woman just as she tearfully ran back at him, crashing into his arms.

"You came back…" She tearfully cried.

"Sorry." He placed a reassuring hand on her head.

Then Gin glances at you. Yes, he's looking at you. The one sitting on the chair and their hand is on the mouse…or keyboard. The one looking at him and reading these very words. "Story's over. You can click the review button now. Bye bye!"

Matsumoto kisses you good-bye as well and Hinamori and Naori waves good-bye to you from their bridge across the river. Hitsugaya just gives his usual glares at you and points at the review button.

_

* * *

_

Gin's up to his antics as I like it. Including breaking the fourth wall. Well that's the end of this story. I've had so much fun typing up my favorite movie with my favorite series and with my favorite couple in said series. I thank every single one of you that has reviewed!! I hope you review for more of my other stories!! Thank you all very much!! See ya!!!!


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